Final Preperations (Private)

[Kyerin]

With the Opening Assembly over and classes begun, the school year was officially underway. However, since the first classes were mainly to pass out syllabi and general information, students who needed to get ready still had a chance to collect school supplies, mark out their routes through the campus, and acquire books that would be handy for those class... textbooks, they could be called, though the bookstore on campus only held a few.

That would be the reason why a certain male student was at this very bookstore in the late afternoon, in order to bolster his literary collection with tomes that would benefit his scholarly endeavors... especially the two art books he had made sure to grab first. They weren't required, but that class would require most of his focus, due to his hands refusing to be aesthetic in their creations. Surely knowledge could help remedy this problem, or at least curb the harshness of his failure.

With those acquired, and a couple others for some other classes, the young man paused, doing a bit of mental calculations. His family had allocated him a certain amount of money for his books... and he was still under the total by a fair amount. Well, since that was the case, he would treat himself to a novel, perhaps a mystery, something to read in his spare time... which could vary from none to hours upon hours of sitting around in that office, doing nothing. Either way, he would acquire a book for his pleasure, letting his feet guide him across the store.

[Nicolette]

There had only been two days of classes where students received information from their teachers and it would be the weekend that most students would venture out in order to get all the proper materials they would need for the school year. This is exactly what the President of Student Council was doing as she made her way to Trestella's Book Cafe that Saturday afternoon.

Nicolette De la Fontaine had spent a lot of her day preparing for the second week of school. She had gotten up early that morning and washed all her uniforms down in the laundry room of the dormitories to make sure everything was nice and clean for the following week. After that, she went to her room, dropped off the uniforms, and went to the other side of her closet for an outfit to wear out in public. She decided to go with a beige slong-sleeved shirt with a high collar that wasn't quite a turtle-neck as some of her neck was still exposed, a brown skirt that fell to her mid-shin, and brown boots with yellow laces that came up to meet the bottom of her skirt, leaving a little bit of her legs exposed, but not much. With this, she wore a brown cloak that flapped open for the most part and buttoned at the neck only and a beige scarf around her neck. In her hair, she wore a brown headband, to match the theme of her outfit.

After she had departed from the dormitory, she went into town and went to the Nogawa Shopping Centre. She stopped by one shop to collect supplies, such as mechanical pencils, pens, markers, paper, a couple of folders, and a planner. She had already gotten a calculator while back in London as her father had mailed it to her before she departed for the school year. It was a kind guesture. She moved to another section of the store in order to get a sketch book, a few college-ruled notebooks, and a small journal.

Once she had the supplies she needed from that shop, she departed and went to another shop where she bought the materials she needed for Home Economics, which wasn't much. With that done, all she needed to do was buy her textbooks and she would be set. With that said, she made her way to Trestella's Book Cafe, which she had gotten her school books the previous years.

The familiar warmth of the bookstore comforted her as she slipped off her scarf and cloak. She smiled and thanked the woman at the front, who took her scarf and cloak for her to pick up when she was finished, and continued on inside. She needed a Calculus book, a physics book, an economics book, and a mythology book.

It took some time, but she managed to get the books and held them in her tiny arms as she went to the art section of the library, looking for any books on art that caught her eye. She had remembered some titles that she had seen in a catalouge she'd been looking through during art class on Thursday, so she chose a few and continued on. She didn't really need them, but she wanted to look at some of the books for inspiration and such.

She held the heavy books in her arms as she continued through the bookstore, wondering if she could find any books to read in her spare time. She didn't get very far, though, before her arms started to shake a little and she had to stop and try to arrange the books so they wouldn't hurt her tiny arms as much. She hated being physically weak as hell...

[Kyerin]

Fortunately for Kyerin, in terms of school supplies, books were really all he needed; he already had a fair enough number of notebooks, pens, pencils, folders, and the like gathered from the last few years of school, and a calculator has also been stored from prior math classes. In terms of extra basic school supplies, he would need art supplies, such as a sketchpad, charcoal, erasers... and whatever else she had put on that ridiculously long list of needed equipment; it was just a year of art class, not like a planned lifestyle immersed in every sort of creative profession that was ever conceived.

He sighed slightly, letting his mind slip from what he had to get to the simple pleasure of acquiring a book from the mystery section in front of him. A few arctic murder novels caught his eye, and he deposited his stack of books on the floor near his feet as he picked them up to examine what they contained. Maybe it was due to the location of the island, but it was colder here than it was back home, leading the boy to clothe himself in a long sleeve button down blue shirt underneath a wool coat. Jeans were worn with this attire, not because he was mainly a jeans wearer (in fact, most of the time he prefered slacks), but was more to the advantage of having found down lined jeans which helped fend off the cold. Tennis shoes covered his feet, since he didn't have or really need proper boots, but that was it, which left his face vulnerable to the elements. He didn't mind, considering that the edge of the chill helped keep him awake, and he usually didn't leave himself outside long enough to suffer through his ears or nose.

Picking one novel to take for now, and returning its comrades to the shelf, the boy reacquired his stack of books, this time heading to the checkout. However, he paused as he noticed a girl standing nearby, rearranging her large collection of books and school supplies to where she could carry them easier. He easily recognized her, considering that they had already met twice in the last week, and spoke out, taking a few steps towards her. "Ms. Nicolette, fancy meeting you here. Would you like some help carrying all of your supplies?" True, both of his arms were full of books, but he could stack more on top; besides, his parents wanted him to be polite to others, and it was polite to ask her.

[Nicolette]

Nicolette looked up, surprised at the sound of her name, and her large, multi-colored eyes locked on a familiar face. Kyerin Saito, her 'rival'. His words struck her as very kind and she offered him a small smile, though she shook her head, shifting the books again in her arms.

"It is quite alright, Monsieur Kyerin. You already have enough to carry, yourself." She addressed him the same way he had addressed her, using a title before the first name, though she used the French form out of habit. "C'est vraiment gentil de ta part."

[Kyerin]

Kyerin smiled a bit at her comment, though he didn't get what the second part meant; unfortunately for him, his language profiencies only included Japanese and English, so it was all Greek to him.. which was just as bad as French, so he just merely smiled and nodded at that, even though he had no idea what she said, which could be dangerous, since she could be insulting his mother or something. Mental note to self: learn some French.

The boy shifted the book to rest them all on one arm (somewhat painfully on one arm, but all there), and offered his free hand to the girl. "You still have a lot more than me, and you looked like you were considering more... are you sure you don't want any assistance?" He did feel bad, considering that she was having some trouble now... and it was a fair distance back to the school.

[Nicolette]

Nicolette watched the younger male carefully for a moment. She was sure he was different from the previous SFF leaders, so it shouldn't be dangerous to accept his kindness and such. She decided to trust him for this and she moved to an empty shelf next to her, placing some of her load down since she couldn't move either of her arms in fear of just dropping all of it. Once her arms were free, she moved them a little to try and get the blood flowing easier in them.

She allowed him to take some of the smaller books, trying her best to make it so he had to take as little as possible since she was already burdening him enough as it was. She moved her arms to take her load again, feeling grateful that it was lighter than before. She had been contemplating getting more books... But she decided she could save it for another trip...

The scent of coffee caught her attention and she realized how worn out she was... Coffee sounded like something she was in the mood for since she was still a bit tired and it was a nice, warm drink to warm her from the outside. She turned to look at Kyerin.

"If you are headed in the direction of the check-out counter... Possibly after you purchase your items... Well, first I should ask the question of whether or not you like coffee." She looked up at him with her odd eyes, curious as to his answer.

[Kyerin]

Kyerin was glad that the girl was trusting him, and letting him help her out. He was pretty sure that she would have some issues, considering how the SFF and the Student Council were opposites; still, he believed in one thing that would make things easier for her. There was a seperation between the SFF/Student Council feud, and the individual people, so, as far as he could enforce, there would be no direct attacks against her or other Student Council members; there was a division between business and personal.

He took her few books, glad to see that she was having an easier time, and did a mental inventory of what he needed to do. He could come back out tomorrow with rest and empty hands to get what extra supplies he need for that art class, and he could spend the rest of today and tomorrow, looking through the books for what he'd need the first few weeks...

The boy blinked when he was asked a question, causing him to look at the girl, and nod with a small smile. "Yes, I like coffee... after we get our books, I guess that you would like to sit down and have a drink?" He could guess where she was going, and was a bit embarrassed that he hadn't thought of it first.

[Nicolette]

Nicolette nodded at his response. "My treat, of course... You have burdened yourself to help me, so I believe it is the least I can do to repay you, Monsieur Kyerin." She spoke, her French accent ringing through the single word she spoke before becoming more British-like once more. Her accent was quite unique.

They made their way to the counter and purchased their items. She took her bags (which were double bagged to make sure nothing fell out) and then turned to Kyerin for a moment to make sure he was still up for the offer. They walked to the small cafe area and the girl set her bags down next to a chair at a table. She motioned for him to take a seat.

"I will order. What would you like?"

[Kyerin]

Kyerin opened his mouth for a moment, but then closed it, sure that the girl wouldn't back down on this. Well, at least he managed to convince her to lighten her load, let him take some of her books, at least until she paid for them, and the double bag helped reduce the strain on her arms. After that, she seemed to have them, and he handled his bags, somewhat surprised that the teachers made them get so much weight to learn. Fortunately, they didn't have to carry it from class to class, which was the only consolation of getting all of these books.

The boy followed the girl to a small table, pulling out her chair for her before taking his own seat, his bags placed on the floor, leaning against his chair. He paused, considering his options before speaking. "Normally, a frappucino is my thing... but considering the weather outside, I think I'll opt out of coffee today, and get a hot cocoa instead." His Japanese accent was sprinkled across his words, but he had heard enough English from his father's business partners that it was quite clear. Still, it seemed pretty much what one would expect from a Japanese speaking English; it wasn't that hard to pick up after he had been heard.

[Nicolette]

Nicolette found that she quite liked hearing the voice of the male across from her as his accent was one she had never heard before. From the origin of his name, she could assume he was from Eastern Asia, though she wasn't entirely sure of the exact place. She smiled politely and nodded at his order before she walked to the counter.

"One hot cocoa and one Café au lait, please." She requested, ordering herself a French coffee she happened to catch on the menu. She was quite pleased that they had the kind of coffee she enjoyed. She produced her wallet and took out a card in order to pay for the drinks, sliding the card and entering her pin number. She waited for the receipt and signed it before waiting on the two cups of warm liquid to be finished.

Once given to her, she smiled warmly at the woman behind the counter. "Merci beaucoup." She said with a slight bow before she took the cups and carried them over to the table she and Kyerin had reserved. She sat down across from him and placed his cup in front of him, opening the lid of her own cup to pour a little bit of creamer inside before she closed it and waited for it to cool down a bit.

[Kyerin]

As the girl left, Kyerin pondered about what he knew about her; unlike the Student Council, he didn't have free access to everyone's information, which did make things more interesting. He really only got information when he registered them as members of the SFF, so he knew about those in his organization, but that was it. She was a senior, she had a mental gift, considering that they had the mental gift class, she was French... ish; her accent was French, but also seemed to hint at British... making it somewhat difficult to understand. However, he was getting the hang of it... there was probably an interesting history to that.

As she sat back down, the boy smiled, reaching out and taking the hot cocoa. "Thank you very much," he stated, considering taking a drink, but was pretty sure that the beverage was still too hot, and it would just burn his tongue, which was always unpleasant since he couldn't taste anything then. He mused back on his original topic before asking, considering that he wanted to confirm something, though just going at it directly wasn't really his style. "So, you're getting all of your supplies for class? Do you have a heavy schedule this year?"

[Nicolette]

The ash-blond girl wrapped her hands around her coffee cup, enjoying the warmth it provided her hands. It was true that she had been inside for quite some time now, but her hands were hard to warm on their own, so the warmth was definitely welcomed.

She turned her attention to Kyerin as he asked his question. She gave him a nod in response. "Yes. Our school bookstore is poorly stocked when it comes to supplies for the older students... I will discuss with the treasurer of Student Council about forming some sort of system with Trestella's in order to supply the proper supplies to the upperclassmen."

She took the lid off her cup again and took a small spoon she had grabbed earlier, taking a couple of sugar packets and dumping them into her coffee before beginning to stir. She spoke as she stirred.

"Calculus, Economics, Mythology, Physics... Those are large books, and then add a couple of optional books, such as art books, and that's quite a load in itself... Followed by the various notebooks, pencils, pens, erasers, and other materials needed for the four core classes plus art...And I need to go to another area of the shopping center in order to get a new Physical Education uniform..."

She let out a sigh and replaced her lid on her coffee cup, looking down at it for a moment. She wondered if it would be cool enough to drink yet...

[Kyerin]

The young man rested his hands around the cup, gauging the heat of it, before cautiously lifting it to his lips so he could blow some cooler air into the lid. After a few cooling breaths, he took a sip, lightly burning his tongue, but mostly enjoying the chocolate concoction as it slid down his throat, warming his insides. As he placed the drink back on the table, some steam escaped and fogged up his glasses, causing him to sigh, and remove them to clean them off on his shirt; sometimes he wished he didn't need glasses.

As the girl spoke, Kyerin nodded in agreement, listening to her thoughts and making mental notes of her classes- mainly the ones that they would share. Once she was done, he added in his own thoughts. "I agree; there was practically nothing at our bookstore for me. I had to get all of my books and art supplies down here... well, still have to get those supplies. But that's a good idea, considering that they focus more on the younger students. I'm not sure if I can do anything, but I'll see if the SFF can assist this plan." This was really what made him different from the past SFF leader: he supported the Student Council if their ideas benefitted the students, as opposed to just trashing every idea they came up with, no matter what it was.

[Nicolette]

Nicolette was impressed with Kyerin's willingness to cooperate with Student Council. She had dealt with the the rivalry between the Student Council and the Student Freedom Force for quite some time, so she had grown to expect that when she became the new President that she would have to deal with a ridiculous new leader of the Student Freedom Force... So she was very surprised at Kyerin's kindess and cooperation with her.

She nodded with a light smile. "That is gladly appreciated, Monsieur Kyerin." She said before she decided to test her coffee. She brought it to her lips, blowing it a little before she took an experimental sip. It was hot, yes, but she didn't care. It tasted so wonderful. She took a long sip before setting it down, letting out a satisfied sigh before looking at the boy across from her.

She decided she would ask a question that had mulled in her mind for quite some time. "We have had a class together... Would you possibly be taking a Mental Gifts class?" She asked, her voice soft in order to discourage eavesdropping.

[Kyerin]

Kyerin nodded in agreement, smiling lightly at her. It was fortunate that the school year was starting off on such a good note. There would probably be parts where they would be at odds, definately later, considering on that members would pressure him to at least do something. But she was a nice girl, so it was good that they were on the same side right now.

The boy nodded slightly, though he was a bit curious about why she was lowering her voice; the whole island knew that everyone had their own secret. In fact, he somewhat doubted that there was just a completely "normal" person on the island. Still, he nodded, leaning in a bit closer to her before replying, matching her volume level. "Yes, so I will assume that I will see you again there this year. What is your gift exactly?" He didn't really remember her exact gift, considering that there were psychics, illusionists, and other students, with a few days of disaster as younger students lost control. People who kept in line, and didn't cause a class-wide panic didn't stick out as much.