No breaks on this Train [Event Topic :: Afternoon]

After coming back from the Aqua Space Museum and wandering a bit around the area, Haru would find himself in the one place that had a billion and one people at this time of day – the food court. While the crowds were uncomfortable to be sure when someone was actually really hungry, he or she kind of push back fears to get what they wanted…or at least Haru did. With food on his mind more so than anything else, he was able to at least get into the food court without much trouble; however, as the teen entered the area and looked around, he found trying to figure out just what he wanted to eat surprisingly difficult.

Yes, he expected variety, but this much? No. He most certainly did not expect all this. In fact, outside of some of the fancier spots his parents dragged him to, the thing he thought most about when entering a food court was some common knock off stations for "oriental food" or a few big chains typically located in a mall. While it was true he didn’t expect the food to be terrible here, the variety made him wonder just what sort of people actually worked here? This place sure went out of their way to keep their workers happy that was for sure.

Pretty much in a state of awe, Haru let his guard down for once as he decided to first find something to drink. Maybe that would help him figure out what he wanted to eat. Naturally, he went for a milkshake something his mother would pull her hair out about if she ever did catch him with one while his father would go on a long speech about why the delicious treat should not be drank; however, his parents weren’t here meaning Lisa was doing her job well of keeping the pair distracted and for that he would have to reward her later on for.

With no restraint on what he could or could not have, he would get in one line to get a shake and then after finally obtaining what he wanted, he would move out of the way and scan the area for something tasty and probably not the best for his health, but hey…after all those healthy meals he was forced to eat daily, he felt he rightly deserved this. So what to choose?

Disguise:

Strength/Weakness:

Haru would finish off the milkshake and move from his spot to toss the empty container away. As he did this, he took a glance around the food court taking note of a dark haired male in the crowd that seemed to be looking around for something. There was a brief moment where it seemed they made eye contact, but since the other didn’t react or do anything, the young man didn’t bother with going out of his way to go talk to said person. Besides, it wasn’t like he was going to have a good conversation when food was the main focus of his brain.

After getting rid of the trash, he refocused on the lines and finally by random select, he ended up going for a Japanese themed buffet. He would follow the line and after seeing what he had to deal with, he would fine himself getting a little bit of the familiar and a little bit of the strange. The meal wasn’t exactly the unhealthy thing he at first sought, but at least it had a little bit of risk in it. It wasn’t often he was able to try something that caught his fancy, so whether some of the food turned out to be a bad choice or not, he was going to enjoy himself. After getting his meal and a water, he would thank the ones that prepared the food before moving back into the crowds hunting for a table.

As he was doing this, he would pass a table where a lone woman in white sat. While under normal circumstances he would simply go on his way and ignore most in a crowd, there was something about this particular woman that made him slow in his track and stop a few steps away from the table. What was it that made him do this though? Was it beauty? No. Was it the fact that she stuck out quite well dressed in white all? No. No. It was something else. It was a strange air that was comforting and yet somehow sad. An air that somehow pulled at Haru even though why he did not was not sure.

Not exactly sure what he was doing or why he was doing it, Haru would do the last thing he’d ever thought he would do when it came to a stranger – act upon a gut feeling towards said stranger. Taking a deep breathe inwardly, he would brace himself as he forced himself forward and approach the table where the woman ate alone. His approach was calm and natural enough as he made his approach known, so he wouldn’t startle her. Once nearer, he would speak.

“Umm…Excuse me, but may I sit with you?” he asked his tone while soft still audible over the crowd. Despite being a nervous wreck internally, he at least appeared to be calm as he stood slightly off to the side of an empty chair near by. He wouldn’t dare sit if she told him to get lost… and to be honest with other tables available, he wouldn’t blame her either. Still, there was something about her that just told him to wait, so for once he obeyed the gut feeling and did just that. Waited.

It was kind of awkward standing and waiting for an answer. Even more so when Haru was quite aware that he could sit anywhere in the area. Sure, there were a ton of people and yes they did snatch tables right from under the slow; however, one didn’t have to try very hard to get a table to themselves if someone really wanted that. So if it was so easy to nab a table, then one had to wonder why Haru continued to stand where he was. He didn’t know this girl and yet…he couldn’t get himself to leave her either. It was rather perplexing considering he thought himself very adapt at the art of ignoring and avoiding others. What had changed the tides then? Sure she was pretty and all, but at the end of the day she was just a girl right? So what was the deal…?

Hm? Another voice had joined the silence briefly distracting him and causing his eyes to wonder from the pot on the floor he was looking at to the young man that had joined them. Oh? Wasn’t this the guy he just saw a few moments ago? Huh. To think they’d end up bumping into each other face-to-face. It made him wonder if the guy had come over because of the girl or if he was simply okay with sitting with people at random. Hmm…Maybe he was overthinking the matter…as usual. In any case, he would feel himself become unfrozen as the girl spoke and gave them permission to sit. Moving to the chair on the other side of the table, he would sit placing himself at across the table and a little to the left of the girl as he left the other chair for the guy to sit in if he wished to.

As he sat down, he felt himself relax only slightly as he glanced at the people in the food court.

“Yeah well. I guess Fate didn’t want me to be isolated today. Thanks for allowing the company,” he would respond back to the girl his words remaining at a soft yet audible level. He seemed calm enough as he got his eating utensils (chopsticks) and picked at a small portion of his food. He kept his eyes down cast for a long while before looking first to the girl and then to the guy with them. It was just a brief glance at both before his eyes were back on his plate again.

Keeping the food as a focus point, he would speak in rather casual tones as he asked a single question.

“So…what is your names?”

Yeah…not the best conversation starter, but he couldn’t be forever silent…could he?

“Yes. A strange concept I am not sure if I fully like or not,” Haru would respond back his soft tones taking a slightly serious edge as he was gazing across the food court; however, whatever he was thinking was hidden and soon it wouldn’t matter as the serious expression vanished and his eyes would soon turn back to the girl and the other with them. He had thought to say something else; however, he would pause as he took note that his words seemed to have caused something like uneasiness to settle around the girl.

“…What’s wrong?” he ask a bit uncertain if that was the right way to approach the situation or not. Still she showed sign of distress, so was it not natural to pry? In any case, whatever happened there Haru would eventually become quiet once more as he began to eat the food on his plate.

As he was eating, he would pause as he came across something that was not so pleasant to the taste buds. Giving the offending food an unreadable expression, he would move the item away from the other food, neatly isolating it on the corner of the plate. Around the time he was separating the food, the guy next to him made a comment about sitting alone.

“Hmm. Perhaps it does, but then again perhaps it depends on the person. Sometimes isolation is the better option...” he would say his tones calm and polite enough as he poked at a what appeared to be an egg roll with his fork. It was funny how well he knew that as a truth. Crowds could be tiring when you were forced around them all the time. Thus why he preferred to be alone or with a very small group preferably of two or less people. Granted with the situation at hand, he could not avoid the crowds and if he was alone, someone would probably sit with him in time. Thankfully, he had saved himself the trouble of too much awkward interaction by following the impulse he had to sit with this girl. Even the Noah’s presence was a welcome touch for the young man, but maybe that comfort came due to the fact the extra gave him a form of security. Stranger or not, the fact the guy was there made this situation a bit easier to handle for the young man.

Hm? Oh yes. It was kind of rude to ask for names and yet not give his own, wasn't it?

Haru’s eyes would drift up towards the others, the dark lenses that kept his true eye color hidden washing over both briefly before he spoke.

“Forgive me for not saying it sooner. My name is Hatsuharu. The pleasure is all mine,” he said his tones polite as ever. After the words were spoken, he would become quiet not exactly sure how to make more conversation after that....

“It would depend on who asked. Some people swear by it, but others would tell you its simply superstition,” he would pause as he briefly held his chopsticks in his left hand as he sat back and looked upward a bit as he thought. “As for myself, I see it as scapegoat. An figment of the imagination we run to or throw out when we don’t know what is going on or get in situations that don’t go our way. It only exists because people make exist not because there is some puppeteer forcing us to do something,” Haru would say before looking back at the other male his earlier nerves seeming to die down in the face of something to actually focus on.

After finishing, he would shrug a bit as if it didn’t matter. It was a theory and he wasn't ashamed at all for what he said. The guy asked a question and so he answered. Now what the other did with said answer was up to him. Being strangers, Haru didn’t really care about judgment calls at this point.

Besides it wasn’t like he was the only one acting odd. When his attention had focused on Yomi for a bit and he asked his question, he took note of her reaction and the forced smile. While his face was calm enough, he could tell that something was bothering her; however, being at stranger level he wondered if he could get her to speak what was on her mind. He debated about it for a moment before he was blinking a bit and going back to his food. An amused smirk was on his face.

“That's not very convincing and while I know it is not my place, if something is weighing you down you should let it out. Might drive you mad otherwise,” he would respond back his tone gentle and respectful of the other. Yes, he wanted to know what bothered her, but at the same time he knew the difference between a stranger and a friend. If she wanted she could simply tell him to back off or choose not to answer at all. After all, they were strangers, so she had no obligation to answer. Regardless, he left the offer there for now.

He would fall quiet for a moment as he moved a piece of food out of the way to get at a what he thought was a veggie; however, when he popped the round thing in his mouth he found it to be a small fish cake instead. So good!

“Hmph!” It was an amused sound to Noah’s word that came first as the young man took a moment to finish the cake. “You rely on people too much for entertainment if you thinking being alone gets boring,” he would say leaving it to the pair around him to translate that as they saw fit. Probably being the rare case in the world, Haru had no issues with isolation at all. He kind of lived in it most of the time. As for the other’s words, Haru would raise an eyebrow at the other before the girl pretty much took the words he had in mind right out of his mouth. He had to agree. What did the other expect? Curious he would be quiet to see what came of that.

Whatever happened there, the young man would eventually place his chopsticks neatly across his plate with a light sigh and shake of his head.

“Friends? Heh. No, I have family here too, except I intentionally got myself separated from them,” Haru would say as he leaned slightly against the table being careful not to get himself into his food. Yeah. He wasn’t looking forward to going back to them, a thought that was unintentionally expressed by the light frown he gave his food. The frown was a quick one though and quickly vanished when the girl opened the floor up to discussion. To this, he would shrug.

“I don’t know...Unless you know what is supposed to be revealed tonight," his eyes would look between Noah and Yomi searching for who had his answer. "I find it a bit baffling for this many people to be here if it isn’t something they find important. I wonder if this is a good thing or not…” he would finish looking over at the crowds once more. As he watched the people, his mind began imagining what would happen if for some reason the herd was scared…

Yeah. That wouldn’t be good.