Idle decisions, idle decisions, hmmm... ( For Hatsuharu )

Where to go from here, where to go from here...

Tatum thought long and hard as she stared at the various destinations the metro could take her. Sunlake Palms? There has been countless people meeting there, so it was sure to be worth another look.

Backlight? Does she have a little bit of cash? Maybe for a couple of dancing rhythm games, but she was saving it for something special later.

Little Tokyo? No money for bread, so... that wouldn't work.

Which one was the Maid Cafe at? What was it? Maid in haven? But she didn't get a mint present yet!

... East Eden? She hasn't been there in a long time. She wondered if there was anything new since her last visit roughly a year ago?

Suzie Q? No money for any of the really fun stuff.... le darn.

At any rate, she she was spending a good chunk of time here. This was usually a routine thing, spending time at the directory trying to decide where to explore next.

Or she could do something different and explore the metro itself. But she already explored everything she was allowed to explore in there! The only places left are places she would never be allowed to enter due to "safety hazards."

And so she deliberated, looking for the right destination to take.

Black boots, nice black pants, a white black shirt with a cross on it and another shirt on top of that all layered under a leather jacket.

The Look:

The young man who wore this outfit and moved through the station certainly did give off a bad boy look with his unruly black hair and the contacts that made his eyes a deep blue only adding onto the look. Normally when faced with such a person most turned tail and ran, but for this young man? No...that was not the case. As he walked through the crowds many would pause to stare at that handsome face. He could hear them whispering and wondering who he was, but thankfully no one was pulling the right answers.

A good thing considering the idol was currently on his own and did not wished to be attacked by mobs of fans or the paparazzi. It was true he could’ve brought security or someone along for the ride, but if he did that then there would be no need for him to put in quite as much effort into a disguise or be concerned if he would be found out or not. He would have no game to play. No risk to take….and to be denied that small freedom? Well that rant would take too long to write, so let’s save that for another time.

In any case, he had put effort into making his disguise look natural so he could walk about like a normal person did, free of the chains that his prison like life placed on him and so far the look was working well. Outside of looks and whispers no one bothered him making it easy for him to drift through the crowds and towards the boards that listed the various train departures.  There were many places he could go, but the idol wasn’t searching for just anywhere. He was looking for the trains that led to East Eden. And why would he opt for a train versus simply having Lisa drive him there?

Well, the answer to that was pretty simple: The trains and public transportation in general were something his Mother would not allow him to go in. She found the places “unsafe” for various reasons and so she spent a good chunk of hard gained money upon private transport to “protect him”. While he did not deny it was nice having this feature got boring after a while. You always ended up going with the same people along the same routes with the outside world being blocked out because Mother dear was too parnoid about people to actually let you look out a window. It became even worse when he realized said transportations were designed to make her feel big and bad and she was using the him as leverage to get her way. A bitter spot, but he did have other options that were more pleasureable, you know?

For example with Lisa he had that luxury to be driven somewhere while being allowed to do as he pleased and while he adored the woman to no end for this and many other things, he needed a change up his life. Do something that was out of his box and risky and so without any form of warning or permission, he had gotten up and ready before he headed out of the door before anyone had time to notice. A benefit of having a overly sized house. There were places you could go where no one would hear you.

Once on his own, he had taken to wandering about enjoying life as just an ordinary person doing what he wanted with no restraints until he finally got tired of the wandering the city and decided to head to the more quieter space of East Eden and in turn wound up in the station feeling like a little kid that had finally got away from his parents at a toy or candy store.

A sad comparison considering he was way too old to be considered a kid anymore, but even so that did not change the fact that by doing the very things his Mother hated brought him a sense of pleasure like no other. He liked breaking the chains and while the consequences would be a pain later, he most certainly wasn’t thinking of them as his eyes scanned the boards for the right train. He was so focused on his task at hand that he did not notice that he had stopped next to a child that seemed to be watching the board for her own reasons….

And so the two stood side by side, staring at the board looking for their own answers. At one point, the child made sure to raise their jacket collar.

And thus there was silence, long and peaceful silence.

... Silence was boring, let's talk to the random person next to her.

"So, where are you off too?" came her rather cheerful and casual demeanor as she turned to the stranger next to her. She figured she'd let him decide for her by deciding for himself. Wherever he was going, she was going for a little bit! After all, there could be fun surprises wherever he was planning to go!

He would continue to look at the board with narrowed eyes only becoming vaguely aware that another was near him when he caught movement from the corner of his eye, but for the most part he did not look at the other as he continued to look at the scheduling times for trains bound to East Eden. He didn’t want to stay in the station forever, so it looked like the first to arrive would be here in about 45 minutes to an hour if delays didn’t occur. That gave him enough time to snatch up a ticket and still have enough time to get to the platform to catch the train. Well that settled that. Time to--huh?

The idol would blink as he pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked down at the dark skinned red head that had spoken to him. Where was he going? Why did she want to know that? The young man’s eyebrows would furrow a bit as for a few seconds he was quiet debating how much of an ass he really wanted to be. On one hand this was none of her business, but on the other hand….it was just a kid asking a question. So what was the harm and letting her know right?

...

The debate would last for a second before the expression given would melt into one that was calm and hard to read as he decided to be nice this round.

“East Eden,” he would respond back easily enough and then looking away he turned as if he was going to walk away, but then seeming to think on something he would turn slightly and look at the child again as he raised his eyebrows slightly in curiosity. “And you? Where are you headed?”

He was kind of curious. After all, she did appear rather young and from what he could see no parent was in sight, so what did that mean? Did it matter in the end? Probably not, but still the question was fair since she had asked first no?

The Good and the Bad:

East Eden, huh? I guess that's where I'm going! After him, of course. I bet the last thing he needs is a random kid following him around.

She took a second look at him, realizing that he had asked her a question.

Well, she did randomly ask him a question. A question for a question, right?

"I'm trying to figure that out, actually," she replied, "in all honesty, I asked you to see where you were going in order to decide if I wanted to go there or not. I'm an Endymion explorer, I yam!"

Hooookaaaaay, that's a stoic face you gave me. I almost feel challenged by it. Should I call that bluff?

I... probably shouldn't. It's one thing when they're actually taking the time to talk to you, but he's probably just asking cause he noticed that I'm alone. Let's just ride this out and see what happens! Who knows, maybe he's friendly!

So she had asked him where he was going to help her decide where she would want to go, huh? Well, he supposed that was one way to do things, though for him the concept was quite odd. He typically debated internally to settle on his own choices, but to each their own he supposed.

“Ah okay,” he would say to the first set of words, his demeanor as calm as before; however, to her words about being an explorer of the city, the young man’s expression would soften a bit as he gave her a small amused smile. “An explorer, huh? Well that sounds like a fun thing to pass time with. I hope you can find a good spot to stretch your legs then. Good luck,” he would say and then giving the other a polite nod, he would actually turn and begin to move away.

On the surface it might seem like he was being the irresponsible adult. After all, didn’t older folk typically care for the young and if one was spotted alone not just wander off like that? The idol couldn’t really be sure and honestly didn’t care to find the answer to that. She wasn’t his kid or anyone he knew, so why should he concern himself with her? Besides even if she was a kid, he figured she could take care of herself to some degree if she was out on her own anyway and could've been her parents or whoever was suppose to watch her wasn't far away anyhow. So there was no reason to worry at all on that front. As for the conversation bit, yes it might’ve been interesting to speak on the explorer matter further; however, he had not come here create idle chat to begin with, so he had gathered what he needed and moved on.

He saw nothing wrong with the matter, so did not expect much to come of the random encounter....Though one had to wonder: would the kid simply let the idol go like that? Hmm. Time would tell one would have to suppose.

"Nice guy," she replied as she went back to looking at the board. It seemed that the train was to board in a little less than forty minutes.

"... why not? I haven't been there in ages!" She replied. With that, she suddenly started following the stranger.

"Hey, wait up!" she called out, running after him. "I've made my choice and I'm heading to the Eden, but I just got an idea! Let's keep each other company until we get there! We can bug each other with really really REALLY personal questions to see who backs off first! You can ask the first question! Make it as PERSONAL as you can!" Already, Tatum has entered her "Play" mentality, and already she made the reckless decision to try and invite a total stranger into her game.

This one seemed to be somewhat unapproachable, to be honest, but that just made her curious as to how unapproachable. The idea behind this weird game was to see if he would drop a big enough hint as to wanting to be alone, or even just to see if he really did seem as difficult to approach as his stoic appearance suggested, even if it did soften up a bit. Maybe he has an appreciation for exploration?

It reminded her of that girl she always saw at lunch, always so stoic and with such a serious expression, though his was more stoic and... completely unreadable. It was like approaching some kind of strange thing that would eat you if you didn't respect it's Fae rules.

Well, really, the only reason she was still trying to talk with him was because they were both going the same way, so why not try to pass the time by chatting it up with him?

He had heard the red head’s response to his wish of luck to her, but for the most part the young man had nothing to say in back as he simply took his leave thinking the conversation would end there. Focusing on his task of getting a ticket, he would begin to weave through the people that milled about making his way towards the booths. He hadn’t planned on pausing beforehand, but that kid from before suddenly called out to him causing him to do just that.

As he paused in his walking, blue eyes would drift to the child as she came to him and suggested they travel together. Well the first part made sense enough. They were going in the same direction, so he did suppose that he didn’t mind the extra company, but what didn’t make sense was the latter part about how did she put it? Bugging each other and asking really personal questions? And she was even making it into some sort of game?

That was a bit silly and if she thought that would break the idol so easily, she would find he was a tougher customer than he seemed to be. Giving her his usual stoic gaze, he considered her offer for only a second before blinking and turning away.

“You can come if you wish, but I am afraid you’re going to find me to be quite the bore if you wish to play the question game like that,” he would begin as he began to move once more towards the ticket booth though this time around he did pause to see if she was coming. Heh. It seemed he was really serious about let her tag along. If she did follow, the male would continue to walk with her towards the booth.

As they moved through the crowd, he was mostly quiet, but he would eventually open his mouth to speak. “On the notes of questions, what is your name and are you out here alone?” he would ask, his questions more logical than personal, as the crowds begin to thicken a bit due to lines. Finding the shortest one, he would slid into place behind a grumpy old lady who seemed to be glaring at the woman with three out of control kids ahead of her. Not really bother by all the fuss, Haru would remain alert of his surroundings even if he his main focus was the redhead with him.

Most children were usually accompanied by an adult for these kinds of transactions. More so than that, one would think that the attendents would question if a child was on their own.

Not here, though. Tatum just went up to the counters, requested a ticket, and bought it with her ticket money. She bought it easily as though she were just another customer.

Either that or the workers were so used to seeing her there that they never bothered to question it anymore.

"Ah, the strong silent type, huh?" she replied as she continued to follow him through the motions. "I can get that. If I ever get really really annoying and you need me to shut up for whatever reason, you just tell me and I'll be quiet as a brick! Well... I might hum to myself, and if that bothers you, then just let me know and I'll quiet that too. Actually, if I'm too much of a nuisance, then I guess just politely ask me to leave and I'm good as gone. I can get that I'm too much for most adults to handle at times."

Ironically, she was speaking from experience. There were countless times when she was told to leave someone alone or be on her way.

All because she was a child.

A child no one had to take seriously.

She did a mental huff to that and continued with her current distraction.

"Huh? That's the most personal question you can manage? Minus five points!" she announced to his question. Still, it was a question, so she needed to answer it.

Wait... did she really want to share her name? People talk, after all. What if her name spread about? What if people started talking about a Tatum who was seemingly on her own?

What if that news got to her parents, who were most certainly thinking she was at home doing her studies?! She could get into serious trouble, or get them into serious trouble!!!

Oh wait, the ready made excuse! Duh! With that, it should be fine to share a name, at least.

"Tatum, Tatum's the name," she announced, "And I was currently on an errand, but I thought I spend a little bit of time doing my own thing before I get home. As long as my errand get's done, Mom and Dad won't be upset." Well, she technically wasn't lying. Her errand was "to do her homework." Sometimes this also included "to go get groceries." So it wasn't like she wasn't telling the truth.

She was just bending the truth. She already did her groceries the other day, after all, but no one has to know that.

He would stay in line as the people in front of him did what they needed to do to get tickets and what not squared away. When it came to his turn, he did what he had to do to get a ticket to East Eden. When he was done with that transaction, he was about to turn to see if the kid needed any assistance with getting a ticket; however, when he saw that the girl had wandered up to a different counter and got her own ticket, he let that thought slide away. Heh. Well that proved she was indeed capable of taking care of herself or maybe had done this so much that she was a pro at it now. The ticket booth attendants most certainly didn’t question or stop her, so the idol supposed this was okay.

Regardless of this minor thing, the idol would pause only long enough for the kid to be able to see him before he was turning and casually moving through the crowds at a pace that would make it easy for her to catch up and follow. Once back at his side, the kid started talking. At first she was making a comment about his personality, but then she began rambling about being annoying and what options he could take to either shut her up or shoo her away. Maybe if he was your typical adult, he might’ve already stopped her mid-speech. The rambling could be a trigger point for some; however, Haru was surprisingly tolerant and patient, so he did not do interupt as he kept moving towards the terminal for the train they were supposed to go on. As she stopped speaking, the idol would glance down at her briefly as he gave her a slight smile.

“You don’t have to be so worried. If you were a bother, you wouldn’t have even been allowed to come this far. So you’re cool,” he would say his tones while soft were rather easy going despite how serious he was. If this kid was getting under his skin, the idol could become quite cold to get her to back off, but for now he didn’t seem to mind the lively company that walked with him. Regardless of this, the idol would fall quiet once more until the whole personal question game came up. To the response given to him for his own question, the idol would raise an eyebrow slightly at the red head more amused than anything that she was actually making this into a game.

She did realize that despite her enthusiasm for such things, he was not playing said game right? Meaning points were well...pointless for a lack of better words. Should he notify her of this? Hmm...Well perhaps not. He wasn’t in the mood to rain on her parade right now, so the idol just let the comment on points go for the time without even batting an eyelash at the lost. She could do what she wanted as long as she didn't whine too much or do anything to seriously irk him. So far she was in safe waters.

In any case, while the idol didn’t look at her, he did take note that the kid got quiet when he had asked his question making him curious as to what she was thinking; however, when the kid did answer, the idol found himself smiling a bit at this one the pause and its reason became clear enough. Had to pause to think up a story didn't you? While he was not a fan of lies, he didn’t take offense to this one. For you see, he didn't see it as a complete lie, but rather a twisted form of truth bent to keep things hidden. It was a common trick for those that were doing something they shouldn't and a tactic he even pulled from time to time too. So no harm there and the action in and of itself showed the kid was alot smarter than she appeared to be. She wasn't gullible or trusting, meaning she had a rather level head on her despite her age. A good thing if she made the streets her home daily. Even knowing this, the idol didn’t call her out on the matter as he gave a light nod acceptance instead.

“Ah okay.Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Tantum. My name is Hatsuharu,” he would say seeming to easily buy the story without question as they continued to move about getting closer to the terminal where they’d have to wait for the train. He was quiet for a few seconds before speaking again. “So, I suppose it is your go now for a question,” he would say as he carefully moved around a lady with a baby stroller and a man carrying a large luggage. Eh, even if he wasn’t playing the game per se, he wasn’t against chatting or questioning..though there was a personal rule in play. Yes he did pretty much give her permission to go try her luck and ask what she wanted; however,question remained. If she chose to gamble with luck would she win anything in return for her efforts? Only time would tell.

Oh, good, he took the answer. Her secret identity (and her parents credibility) was safe!

"Boy, things are gonna be crowded this time," She replied, taking a quick chance to note some of the other passengers.

Mental note, try not to be as loud as other kids this time. Maybe you can be loud next time around.

She did her best to maneuver past the other passengers, an act that looked more like intentional dancing than actual bobbing and weaving.

She actually welcomed this. If anything, it was an excuse to try and think up of a question.

Time to take the gamble.

"Alright, a personal question, most personal one I can think of! Hmmm... lessee herrrrreeeee...." She made an exaggerated point of posing in a thinking manner, crossing one arm while tapping her chin with her free hand.

"Are you... are you... are you... are you secretly a Cadet trying to live a normal life among the common folk?"

That has got to be the must absurd question I could think off! I mean, why would a Cadet be wandering through here? Still, I bet I'm gonna get this look like "Kiiiiid, whachu on, and can I have sum?" She actually looked up in anticipation for what kind of incredulous look he may give her.

“I suppose people prefer to get out during the day time hours rather wake up early or take a chance at night,” the idol would respond back as he easily shifted past people that crowded the station. Being taller than his companion, it was a simple task moving his body slightly so he would not touch others. As he moved, he would occasionally look back to see if the red head was keeping up and when he did this, he found himself amused by her technique in getting through the crowds. She was small, but seemed to know what she was doing as they moved towards the terminal.

Once there, the idol would pull out of the crowd and drift towards a pillar that was between the tracks and the back wall of the area. Making sure nothing unpleasant was on the pillar, the idol would lean against it as he began the wait for the train along with all the others that milled about the place. His blue eyes would watch the people around him for a bit before lowering to lock on the kid with him as she spoke and took a jab at a personal question. What came out of her mouth caused various effects. To her words some nearby people either became stiff, tried to sneak glances at them, or pretend that they were so not ease dropping on this. However, the idol did not seem to notice this as he gave the other an amused smile as he raised an eyebrow at her.

“I am a stage performer. Do you really think I’d make a good Cadet?” he would say answering, yet not answering her question. Yeah, sure she was a kid, but that did not change the fact that the idol did not know her and in turn did not trust anyone trust her. Sure some Cadets might boast their position, but if the kid wanted that sort of detail she would have to get to know him well enough that he would trust her for him to share such information. So for now the idol gave her this answer with no trace of lies on his face or in his voice as he studied her for a bit before tilting his head. “Though why would you want to know that detail? Looking to join them or something?”

Kids could have all sorts of dreams and some even spent their time trying to become part of the military like group that protected the city, so he wouldn’t be surprised if this was the case. Either way, he did find it interesting that the first personal question she’d ask was if he was a Cadet or not. It made him wonder various things about her, but none he voiced out loud or showed on his face as he remained relaxed in his spot as he continued to wait for the train.

"In all honesty, I was trying to see if I could get you to make a face," she admitted rather quickly of her guilt.  "I'm just gonna come out and saying it, you are not an easy one to phase.  The people around us made more of a reaction than you did!"

Oh yes, she did notice the mummer that she caused.  Save for the eaves droppers, she noticed the reactions of the various people around her.  She knew Cadets were a big deal, but where they really this big a deal?!

Should she join?

The quick answer to that would be:

"It's a nice idea, but I'm already too buried in my studies to be able to do anything like join the cadets.  Would be awesome, though, but I'm definitely sure it would be a bad idea to hand a kid like me a Cadet badge.  Can you imagine the mischief I'd get into?  'Excuse me, sir, this is important Cadet business!  I am going to have to confiscate your donut!'  Or 'Excuse me, official Cadet business!  I need about 999 credits in that one arcade cabinet!   I need to investigate something, and I need to be able to get to the end of the game to conclude my investigation!'  See?  Bad idea!  Never give a mischief maker that kind of power!"

Heheh, Mischief Maker.  That sounds like an awesome name for a super hero!  I don't think I'll ever get to use it, though...

So she had asked just to get a reaction? He would tilt his head at her a bit at this one, his expression remaining serious. “Heh. I suppose I can seem that way.” When he wanted to he could be a brick wall and even appear to be colder than ice, but in the end it was always the approach that determined just what the male would do. This kid had used a rather wild gamble to try and get a reaction and while it was indeed amusing it wasn’t enough to break what appeared to be a wall around the young man. However, things would change when the kid answered the other question.

He would start off serious as usual. “Well, it can seem like a bad choice considering how that power could be abused by one such as yourself,” he would begin and then pausing he would chuckle lightly as an amused smile settle upon his face. “However, sometimes mischief makers are better than the serious ones in a group, so who knows. Maybe under that you’d make a great Cadet.” Anyone could be a Cadet if they put their mind to it, right?

That fun aside, it seemed it was his turn to ask a question, so becoming quiet for a bit to think, he would eventually ask a follow-up question. “On that topic though, if you’re not looking to join the Cadets, then what do you plan to do?" She said she was into studies, so what did she plan to do with them? Had she even thought that far? Hmm. He supposed he would have to wait and see.

To the comment about her being a better Cadet for being a mischief maker...

"Seriously? You're okay with me flaunting my badge like that? Then maybe I'll give it some consideration!" She was happy to see that smile on his face. So he was able to express more than just a poker smile.

The follow-up question was enough to catch her off guard, and it showed visibly.

"Whoa, okay, if I was wearing armor, you would have pierced it with that question," she replied, admittedly to her shock, "Straight honesty, I... haven't really thought about it. I've been so busy getting good grades at everything I do that I haven't really given it any thought..."

She sat there to think about this for a while. Was there something worth doing as a grown up?

She loved to explore, and she loved to run, but those were more hobbies than anything else. If she was going to contribute to society, she had to be certain that it was something she seriously was willing to dedicate her life to.

"Can I cheat and answer with super hero?" she replied sheepishly. It would seem that, all things considered, she wasn't able to come up with an answer.