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Post by Beriadan on Oct 10, 2023 8:07:56 GMT
Yo was yawning as she pushed back the door to 2-A's common room. It was late, a time that she fully expected everyone else to be in bed by, a bright full moon conducting a field of stars in the inky skies above U.A.. Yo had just finished work, seen her mother at the private hospital where she stayed, and now felt the familiar pull of her bed calling to her.
Yet something kept her up. She made herself a calming herbal tea, brewing it in near-but-not-quite boiling water, and stared into nothing for a moment. Slowly, Yo rubbed at her dark-rimmed eyes. It wasn't just a lack of sleep that lay heavy on her mind.
"Only two more years... Once I'm a pro, this'll all be different."
Yo smiled to herself, taking a deep sip of tea.
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Post by Mystletaynn on Oct 11, 2023 4:38:05 GMT
The overhead lights had been off in the 2A common room, so it would have been easy to assume it was empty. Yet, perched atop the back of the couch by the far side window was the silhouette of a boy, too engrossed in his notebook as he gazed out at the sky, that he was oblivious to the quiet preparations over at the kitchenette on the other side of the room, melding into the white noise of the appliances' hum. The dark environment in the room provided the best unobstructed view to see all the details of the stars outside.
It was only when Yo had spoken to herself did Ryoken's attention snap, turning his head back towards the rest of the room. "Eh?" Leaning towards the small table beside the couch, he turned on the reading lamp for a bit of light to aid his sight. As good as his night vision was, details like faces were hard to make out otherwise. "...Yurugu?" It took him slightly longer than usual to identify his classmate. A quick glance towards the clock, then back to the girl. "Good evening, I suppose?"
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Post by Beriadan on Oct 11, 2023 6:28:09 GMT
"Gah!"
Yo jumped, luckily not holding her hot tea as she did so. She turned, a hand to her chest as her heart hammered away behind it. In the gloom, she saw the white hair and lean figure of Ryoken, and breathed out am exaggerated sigh of relief.
"Shidou-san... my apologies. You scared me! My eyes were so accustomed to the dark on the walk home, I didn't even think to turn the lights on..."
She stifled a yawn, poorly, as she made her way across the room. Yo hovered, looking at the notebook while also trying not to pry, and gave Ryoken a shy smile.
"Sorry. I didn't expect anyone to be up this late. Usually the dorms are empty by the time I get back. How come you're up?"
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Post by Mystletaynn on Oct 12, 2023 21:08:26 GMT
Ryoken tried his best to not chuckle at Yo's reaction, but he also didn't fault her for being startled when he had just been in the room alone in the dark. Unlike her, the boy showed no signs of tiredness whatsoever as he gave one more glance out the window before setting down his notebook on the table and his pencil on top of it. "Well honestly, I'm awake at this hour most every day," Ryoken admitted, shrugging and sliding down from the back of the couch onto the actual seat that people are normally supposed to occupy. "The days are always busy, I have things to take care of on the weekends, so it's only really at night where I feel the most productive and can do things on my own time," he explained, uncapping and taking a drink from his thermos, which had also been on the table, the soft jingle signifying it was most likely ice water before he flipped the cap back on. "My mother always says that being able to clear your mind before bed helps you sleep better anyway."
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Post by Beriadan on Oct 13, 2023 5:38:20 GMT
Yo wandered across to a seat opposite, sliding down onto the soft cushions and sipping her warm tea. She listened to Ryoken as she stared off into space, focusing on him as he spoke of his mother, and giving a smile. Sad? Perhaps. There was something else to her expression, but she quickly turned her attention to the notebook.
"Agreed! It's when I do most of my classwork. There's not much time otherwise. What are you working on?"
Yo's situation was perhaps an open secret. There wasn't many that knew the details of her family, except it was fairly tragic. Yet Yo soldiered on through each day, and was even now giving Ryoken a far happier look. A proper smile. She was happy to talk to someone without prerequisites involved, it seemed.
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Post by Mystletaynn on Oct 19, 2023 7:36:06 GMT
Ryoken found himself nodding in agreement with Yo until she asked what he had been working on. His figure noticeably paused in thought before shrugging, evidently having made the decision to share, and reaching back to the table to retrieve the notebook he had just set down. "Well, it's artwork. Anything from sketches to oil painting or whatever, I can just kinda zone out and just... project my thoughts onto a surface. It doesn't have to look good, it doesn't even really have to be recognizable. It just has to exist." Though, it was recognizable, in this case. Ryoken had opened his notebook to the most recent page and turned it so that Yo could see, and it was just a rough depiction of the night sky with a great number of stars. There were an assortment of lines slashed all across the page, too numerous in quantity to assume that he had been mapping constellations, but the end result had an appearance more like that of a dizzying labyrinth than anything else. "I tend to get lost in my thoughts sometimes, since there's always time where I'm alone with nothing else. So, if I can put them down on a canvas, it can help clear out that fog in my head," Ryoken explained, a bit nonchalantly. He was always like this when it came to talking about himself — surface-level activities and traits were always things that were never a bother, but it was near impossible to get any specific details or underlying reasons out of him. "It's a little different than keeping a diary or a journal or the like, but... I like to think that having an outlet like this is beneficial." |
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Post by Beriadan on Oct 29, 2023 15:27:56 GMT
Yo cocked her head, gazing at the sweeping stars slashed and hacked apart by Ryoken's own hand. It was a unique way to get thoughts into a page, that was for certain. Yo's usual method of clearing the fog from her mind was working, keeping herself busy to the second. A time like this, sitting opposite her classmate and drinking calming tea, wasn't really respite for her. Her brain was still clocking over, thoughts and memories hurtling through at a million miles a second. Work, school and sleep. Those were what switched it all off.
She tucked her legs under herself, leaning on the sofa arm with a faint smile. Yo suppressed a yawn, arm in front of her mouth, and took a sip of tea.
"It's pretty, in a chaotic way. I've never been creative like that. Dad is... was... very much into that kind of thing. He always said it was a way to express yourself."
Yo shrugged, gazing off into nothing, her lips forming a faint smile.
"Not something I ever got into myself. It was always work, work, work! When I become a hero... maybe I'll have the time to be creative."
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Post by Mystletaynn on Nov 2, 2023 6:36:10 GMT
Ryoken paused as Yo shared her thoughts, turning to look at her as she spoke of her musings. The boy's expression slowly settled into a frown before shaking his head. "...No, no it's not anything like being creative. If anything, it's more like venting." His eyebrows narrowed, flipping through handfuls of previous pages, seemingly looking for something, but his eyes gave off the impression that it was not met with success. "I'm not trying to express myself. Most of the time, this doesn't get shared with anyone in the first place, unless someone's visiting me. I'm just trying to unburden my mind." Ryoken sighed, closing the notebook and setting it back down again.
The boy took a brief moment to study Yo as she sat on the couch, pondering his previous encounters with his classmate. Like him, she always seemed to be the hard-working, diligent type. But from her words, she didn't seem to be as comfortable as him in handling it. "Well... for me it's not so much about work, or responsibilities, I guess." Ryoken's expression softened, recalling his own routines. He supposed it would classify more as self-care than anything else. "There's only so much time in a day, after all. You're allowed to reserve some of it for yourself, you know?"
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Post by Beriadan on Nov 14, 2023 12:24:06 GMT
Yo leant back, taking a deep sip of tea. Ryoken's words seem to trouble her a bit. Yo felt on the fringes of her class, an older soul for her age bracket. Life had stopped her from having a true childhood, and she always found herself being left out of their activities and thoughts.
"Are you?"
She smiled absently, staring at her cup. She couldn't agree. Slowly she shut her eyes, filling her lungs with a deep, calming breath. Yo felt her mind buzzing, and made a note to try and do some meditation before she tried to sleep.
"Sometimes I wonder if I even know what free time means. Moments like this are all I seem to be able to grasp. Sometimes I wish..."
Yo seemed to snap out of it slightly, shaking her head. She yawned again, clutching the mug between her legs and stretching both arms into the air.
"Ah. Never mind. I'm just tired, and that makes me a bit melancholy! I don't wish anything different. I know one day I'll have time to myself. That's why I'm working so hard."
She looked at Ryoken, smiling apologetically. Yo felt bad, having interrupted his quiet time just to vent!
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Post by Mystletaynn on Dec 1, 2023 0:20:09 GMT
Ryoken could only let out a sigh. Yo's position was made clear and it didn't look like he would be able to affect that, at least not at the current time. Workaholics might have had differing reasons, but their underlying personality was generally what reinforced such habits, whether they were positive or negative in nature. That wouldn't stop him from expressing his thoughts or concerns. "I just think that it's important to be able to establish boundaries for yourself, if that makes sense. I've always been diligent about taking care of my responsibilities and growth, but taking care of myself is something that I consider essential and non-negotiable in order to continue functioning to the best of my ability every day."
He could only watch as his classmate yawned from her tiredness, which was fair and valid given the unnatural time of night. By comparison, Ryoken must have seemed like a robot, unfazed and unbothered by the hour. Yet, not long from now, he would still end up returning to his room as usual to go to sleep — not because of exhaustion, but because it was necessary in preparation for the next day.
"You know, I admire that determination of yours to push yourself constantly. Having a goal that you don't want to stop pursuing, for even a moment? I think that's a good thing, honestly. That drive, that determination is what keeps, well, probably all of us at U.A. going, with our eyes on the horizon. I'm just... more worried about someone like you falling apart before that day arrives. You're not alone in that regard, either."
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Post by Beriadan on Dec 10, 2023 9:18:21 GMT
"Oh."
Yo looked up as Ryoken addressed her. She gave him a small smile, one of genuine emotion. She didn't get much of a chance to talk to her classmates, so it was nice to sit here and converse, and know she wasn't just a side-character. Yo tilted her head, wondering abut his words. Was she trying her best to function to the best of her abilities? Did Yo push herself to far, to the point of breaking? Maybe. She felt exhausted, but it just felt normal to her. Taking a long sip, Yo gave a little shrug of her shoulders.
"I've held myself together for a long time. I've reached breaking point so many times that I don't think I have a breaking point."
She laughed, leaning back into the sofa, then fixed Ryoken with a more serious stare.
"But I know what you mean. Sometimes I feel pulled apart, stretched... but I know that if I don't continue, then it'll just be like I'm wasting my potential, you know? I have this amazing quirk for a reason."
Yo looked at her hands, turning one over, as if her quirk was written out in words across her palm.
"I can't sit back while others defend the world. It's just not in my nature."
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Post by Mystletaynn on Jan 3, 2024 21:22:36 GMT
"Mm." Ryoken nodded, relenting as he took a sip of his water. He understood where Yo was coming from, after all, this quality was something that many U.A. students had. Perhaps it was just in the nature of the kind of people who wanted to become a hero, perhaps it may have been augmented by the general age group of the students at U.A. Nobody wanted to feel like they were wasting any time or opportunities they had, especially fortunate ones like themselves. "I suppose you won't know whether you have a limit or not until you reach it. Might as well go all the way then... if that's what you're thinking?"
Opening his notebook, he flipped through the pages until he reached a blank one, holding his pencil to it, but no further motion came from his hand just yet. "Never once have I thought that I didn't want to go out there and help out to the best of my ability. But, the restraint is just knowing where I stand, what I'm capable of at the current time. We're still students, after all... There's a long way to go." He frowned, as the scratching noises of pencil on paper began in earnest. "Winning the sports festival doesn't mean much when I can clearly see the areas I'm still lacking in. It's just a benchmark, but, the improvement is there, right in front of me." A sigh of frustration was audible in the quiet space of the room. "There's a limit to my patience, you know. But I'm also the only person that knows myself best." Ryoken looked up from his work to level a stare at his classmate. "Have you ever taken a moment for self-reflection? Or do you not have the time for that either...?"
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Post by Beriadan on Jan 8, 2024 13:22:53 GMT
Yo laughed at Ryoken's jab, though it probably wasn't meant to be. Did she have time for self reflection? She didn't have time for much else. A moment like this felt like it was eating into her time, a small ball of guilt bubbling up in her gut from something as sacrilegious as having some tea and talking with her classmate. The hazy moment before sleep was probably the only time she could stop to think, but her thoughts were usually dark, uncomfortable, twisted in the cloak of twilight. Any self reflection lead to uncomfortable thoughts about herself, her life. Was it healthy? Probably not, but Yo didn't particularly feel like she had a choice. She watched Ryoken's hand dancing across the page, a hypnotic movement which trapped her gaze for a few seconds.
"I guess not. I try not to look back, only forward. If I spent time looking inward, I might miss something happening out here, you know?"
Yo shrugged, swirling the dregs of her tea around, staring at the dark shapes that formed and clumped there. She frowned at what they showed her. A cloud? A swarm of insects? Perhaps an incoming storm across the horizon. Yo looked up at Ryoken, with another shrug, a half smile playing on her lips.
"I worry if I stop, even for a second, then I won't be able to keep going. Like the only thing keeping me going is my goal to be a hero. If I falter, then it's not only me who suffers. If I pause, then it will slip out of reach. So I just keep going."
Yo gave a yawn, clutching the warmth of her mug between her hands.
"And maybe that's not the right thing to do, but it's the only thing I've ever known. I make sure my body is kept fit, fed and watered, that I get enough sleep, that I'm completing my school work to the best of my abilities. I make sure I'm the best version of myself I can be, but I can't let that up. If I do, then it might all disappear, and I could wake up without anything."
She stared at her mug once again, frowning, swirling the remaining liquid to try and change the shape.
"And that's why I want to be a Hero. So other people have the time that I never got. To make sure everyone else can live in a world where they don't have to worry about missing out on anything. Because I will be there, protecting them, protecting society, and shaking up injustice across the country."
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Post by Mystletaynn on Jan 25, 2024 20:44:17 GMT
Ryoken nodded along to Yo's words as she continued on. He did the same in silence with his sketchbook, listening and letting her talk. "Well, I think it's a good thing to have that drive, that motivation. And if you're making sure your body can keep up with it, I suppose I won't have to worry about you keeling over anytime soon." He knew a couple of people like that, hard workers affiliated under his mother's sprawling web of influence. One of them was his family butler and part-time babysitter, who had made it his priority to make sure Ryoken didn't grow up too sheltered. Sometimes he missed the old man, but he had lived a long and fulfilling life nonetheless.
There was a noticeable period of silence after they had both finished speaking as he mulled over that train of thought. It had similar applications here, after all. "Is this kind of pace something you plan on keeping up for the rest of your life?" At this point, Ryoken looked up at his classmate. It had already been clear that this was the only kind of life she knew. He wondered if it was the only kind of life she was even capable of. Some people were just built like that, with that mentality. Whether it was due to their inherent nature, or their upbringing, it all led to the same end result. It turned out that a lot of heroes had the same kind of thing in common. In that sense, nobody would ever have to go at it alone.
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Post by Beriadan on Feb 12, 2024 12:50:16 GMT
Yo looked up, and cocked her head, mulling over the question. Was it? Did she have any other choice? It wasn't like she was just living for herself at this point. Yo was responsible, and had to keep this up. Maybe one day she would run an agency, and be able to task others with spreading her workload, but for now... she had a lot riding on her studies, and her work.
"I can't say. I know I'm on a path to be a Pro-Hero, and I can't let up now. if I do, I'll fall behind and won't be able to catch up! I imagine being a Pro-Hero will be the same, until I join an agency. I'm going to give it my all, no less. I can't really imagine myself slowing down, or committing myself to less work!"
Yo smiled, with a certain amount of certainty. Of that, she knew. Working hard, squeezing everything she could out of her body, mind and soul. She stared again at the bottom of the cup, the tea leaves resting at the bottom. Then she looked up at Ryoken, head cocking the other way.
"My resolve isn't going to be shaken by anything. I know what I want out of life. Sometimes I think how nice it would have been to put the thoughts of being a Hero to one side, to live a normal life like a normal teenage, you know? But then I look ahead, to all the people I'm going to save, the future I'm going to help carve for the next generation. I'm going to work hard for all of them. I can't slow down now, and I won't be able to slow down when I get my license. I'm ready to keep this pace up until I can't face villains anymore."
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