[Private] The family and "friend" of a time traveler
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[Private] The family and "friend" of a time traveler
Flashback: Friday, June 27th, 2022
It was early into the evening when Chiharu called Inna Wilson, and as she waited for her to pick up she began formulating what to say.
<"Hello, I don't think we've met before. My name is Kinai, Chiharu, your daughter or brother may have mentioned something about me. I would like to inquire if it would be suitable for me to have dinner with you tonight, as I have a belated birthday present for Ellie which I wish to give to her." eh, too formal "Hey, are you Ellie's mom? Mind if I come over to give Ellie a present?" hmm, maybe I should be a bit more respectable>
Before she could decide completely on an approach, the dial tone ceased and Chiharu could hear background noise coming from the other end. Without waiting for a verbal answer, she began to speak, "Hello, I'm Chiharu, a friend of Ellie's. I've been busy the rest of the week and wasn't able to do anything for her on her birthday, so I thought I could come over now that I'm free to give her a present, and maybe enjoy the evening together."
Last edited by Chiharu Kinai on Mon Nov 03, 2014 1:03 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Admittedly, Inna had never heard the voice on the other end of the line, but she immediately recognized it - after all, she and her daughter had spoken about her many times, and never in a bad way. 'Ah, Chiharu-chan! Glad to finally hear your voice!' the woman smiled. 'Sure, that sounds like fun! Though we're pretty understaffed at the cafe right now, so I might be a bit late... Why don't you go to our place and keep Ellie company? I'll grab some take-out on my way back, okay?" she spoke, not wanting to ruin this opportunity just because she had to work out late.
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"Alright, see you later then."
After hanging up, Chiharu drapes her scarf around her neck and lets it hang down the front of her torso, it's light beige color contrasting against her purple T-shirt. She walks over to her bed to grab the hand recorder she had bought as well as the small red velvet ring box, putting the box into a pocket of her black cargo pants.
About 45 minutes later...
After a surprisingly annoying bus ride and a short walk, Chiharu arrived at the front door just as the calm and clouded skies were beginning to show signs of sepia. Walking up to the door, she knocked softly upon it before calling out, "Helloo, Ellie?"
After hanging up, Chiharu drapes her scarf around her neck and lets it hang down the front of her torso, it's light beige color contrasting against her purple T-shirt. She walks over to her bed to grab the hand recorder she had bought as well as the small red velvet ring box, putting the box into a pocket of her black cargo pants.
About 45 minutes later...
After a surprisingly annoying bus ride and a short walk, Chiharu arrived at the front door just as the calm and clouded skies were beginning to show signs of sepia. Walking up to the door, she knocked softly upon it before calling out, "Helloo, Ellie?"
Last edited by Chiharu Kinai on Mon Nov 03, 2014 6:21 am; edited 1 time in total
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Ellie was, as always, in her bed reading a book. Interestingly, she actually didn't really feel like reading that evening - the new episode of her favorite anime had just aired and was uploaded to YouTube, so she wanted to watch (well, actually listen to) it as soon as possible. But she usually wore headphones while watching movies and anime for more immersion, and she didn't want to risk not hearing someone knock on the door while she was alone. It wasn't like she was expecting someone in particular, as Inna had neglected to call her and inform her of Chiharu's visit, but she still didn't want to take that chance. And ultimately, her patience paid off as she soon heard a knock followed by a very familiar voice.
'Chiharu-chan?' she raised an eyebrow, trying to decide what the girl was doing there before grinning widely and jumping down from her bed. Her hair, tied on a ponytail, swung back and forth as Ellie ran to the door, easily avoiding the many obstacles around her. While she and her mother hadn't lived there for that long, the little girl had already memorized the layout of her home and the location of all items completely, though this had less to do with her intelligence and more with her needs. Regardless, just a few seconds later Ellie was at the front door, holding a keychain in her little hand. It only took a moment for the front door to be opened.
'Hey!' she grinned widely, wondering if her friend was alone. 'What's up, Chiharu-chan?'
'Chiharu-chan?' she raised an eyebrow, trying to decide what the girl was doing there before grinning widely and jumping down from her bed. Her hair, tied on a ponytail, swung back and forth as Ellie ran to the door, easily avoiding the many obstacles around her. While she and her mother hadn't lived there for that long, the little girl had already memorized the layout of her home and the location of all items completely, though this had less to do with her intelligence and more with her needs. Regardless, just a few seconds later Ellie was at the front door, holding a keychain in her little hand. It only took a moment for the front door to be opened.
'Hey!' she grinned widely, wondering if her friend was alone. 'What's up, Chiharu-chan?'
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A smirk graces her face as she responds, but she does so with a nonchalant tone of voice, "Oh y'know, the sky, space, stars, all that upward kinda stuff."
She takes a small step forward before asking a question of her own, "May I come in?"
She takes a small step forward before asking a question of her own, "May I come in?"
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Ellie raised an eyebrow, honestly surprised that this pun actually worked in Japanese... But that didn't make it funny, not even for a 7 year old. When Chiharu asked to enter, the little girl nodded and stepped aside, letting her friend in. 'Sure, come on in! Though just so you know, my mom should be home from work soon! Not that she'd mind having you over, but still...' Ellie smiled, knowing just how hard her mom was working every day and not wanting to be responsible for disturbing her by having friends over. Then again, did Chiharu really come just to hang out? It seemed kind of unlikely, even though the thought that she could have been there to to talk to Ellie about her uncle's disappearance did cross her mind. Still, asking "What are you doing here" would have been incredibly rude.
After Chiharu entered, the little girl closed the door behind her and locked it again, then turned around and headed towards the kitchen. 'Over here! I'll get you something to drink!'
After Chiharu entered, the little girl closed the door behind her and locked it again, then turned around and headed towards the kitchen. 'Over here! I'll get you something to drink!'
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"Don't worry, I called your mom before I came here to see if it would be alright."
While following the young girl into the kitchen, Chiharu began transitioning into her reason for coming, or at least one of them, "So, I heard you turned seven a few days ago."
As she spoke, the tone of her voice hinted at the fact that this was more than idle conversation, and was a deliberate hint to her intentions her.
While following the young girl into the kitchen, Chiharu began transitioning into her reason for coming, or at least one of them, "So, I heard you turned seven a few days ago."
As she spoke, the tone of her voice hinted at the fact that this was more than idle conversation, and was a deliberate hint to her intentions her.
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'Hm?' Ellie asked as she opened the fridge, her hand shifting inside a bit until she managed to feel the cold, plastic bottle of orange juice inside, which she promptly pulled out before closing the door. 'Oh, uh, yeah... I didn't really celebrate it, though... It was just me and my mom' the little girl spoke, hoping that her friend wouldn't be mad at her for not being invited. It wasn't like Ellie didn't want to spend her birthday with her friends, but she still felt really awkward about inviting people who were over twice her age. Being the youngest in her class by far didn't exactly win her any favors with her classmates, so at this point the only people in Japan that she could legitimately call friends were the high schoolers from Yamaku.
After pulling two glasses from a conveniently placed shelf, Ellie began pouring juice into them, holding her finger at the edge of each glass in order to make sure that she wouldn't overflow them. Once that was done, she placed both glasses in the center of the table, as she wasn't quite sure where Chiharu would choose to sit. 'There you go!' she smiled, sitting down on the nearest chair and pulling her own glass close to her. 'So, what did you want to talk about?'
After pulling two glasses from a conveniently placed shelf, Ellie began pouring juice into them, holding her finger at the edge of each glass in order to make sure that she wouldn't overflow them. Once that was done, she placed both glasses in the center of the table, as she wasn't quite sure where Chiharu would choose to sit. 'There you go!' she smiled, sitting down on the nearest chair and pulling her own glass close to her. 'So, what did you want to talk about?'
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After thanking Ellie for the drink and taking a seat for herself, she lets out an amused response to Ellie's question, "Heh, well we could talk about your gift."
Chiharu then places the small handheld sound recorder on the table before slowly sliding it over to Ellie.
"It's a recorder. I thought you could use it to capture your thoughts or your favorite sounds, maybe spy on people, or whatever. It can hold a terabyte of data so don't worry about running out of space. To top it off I put something on there for you as well."
Chiharu then places the small handheld sound recorder on the table before slowly sliding it over to Ellie.
"It's a recorder. I thought you could use it to capture your thoughts or your favorite sounds, maybe spy on people, or whatever. It can hold a terabyte of data so don't worry about running out of space. To top it off I put something on there for you as well."
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'A... sound recorder?' Ellie asked, slightly surprised. This was an unusual gift - more often than not, people just gave her clothes or books, so getting something so different was rather unexpected, but in a good way - especially since she didn't even think Chiharu would give her a gift in the first place. The little girl ran her fingers through the device, getting a feel for its shape and size as she listened to her friend's explanation. The more she thought about it, the more she realized just how useful this item would be for her - in fact, the little girl wondered how she hadn't thought of getting something like this earlier. 'Wow, I... I don't know what to say!' she grinned widely. 'Thank you so much!'
There were several buttons popping out from the top of the recorder - typical things like play, stop, pause, record, previous track, next track, etc. Below each of them was a relief icon describing each button's function, all of which were fairly typical for this kind of device - a circle for record, a triangle for play, a square for stop and so on. Upon learning that there was something pre-recorded on it already, Ellie slid her finger across the icons, locating the triangle and pressing the button right above it.
There were several buttons popping out from the top of the recorder - typical things like play, stop, pause, record, previous track, next track, etc. Below each of them was a relief icon describing each button's function, all of which were fairly typical for this kind of device - a circle for record, a triangle for play, a square for stop and so on. Upon learning that there was something pre-recorded on it already, Ellie slid her finger across the icons, locating the triangle and pressing the button right above it.
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It began with a deep breath and a short silence only a few seconds long. Then the Piano began. Slowly it led into a soft and sweet melody, trickling down the keyboard picking up intensity. As the pitch lowered, the tempo heightened and before long the deep sounds were flourishing together through the air. However as they continued, their sounds began to bleed into one another, forming a sense of chaos just before they ceased and became a single strong unified chord, which was held for a short moment leading into silence. Only for the silence to be broken by timid notes up high from where the song began. The melody was clear again, assisted by the rumblings of the harmony below. This continued for a short while before slowly coming to a proud rest.
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As the sounds of the piano began playing, it didn't take Ellie long to realize that it was Chiharu's composition - or at least, she was the one who was playing it. The girl didn't exactly have a particularly strong appreciation for classical music - not surprising, considering her age - but she still found the melody to be rather interesting. Her mind was busy analyzing the information she was receiving - the tones, the tempos, the chords... When the recording finished, there was only one thing on her mind, and it wasn't anything as simple as a compliment. It was a question.
'What does it mean?' the little girl asked, raising her eyes towards where she presumed Chiharu was sitting.
'What does it mean?' the little girl asked, raising her eyes towards where she presumed Chiharu was sitting.
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"Hmm... That's, an excellent question. Sadly it is one I don't think I can give a definitive answer for."
Chiharu leans on to the table as she continues to explain.
"You see, music is a type of art. It's a lot of different things for many different people. For me, it is a creative and cognitive exercise to convey the intangible parts of my mind into something perceivable. In the end, what it means for you, is for you and you alone to figure out."
Chiharu leans on to the table as she continues to explain.
"You see, music is a type of art. It's a lot of different things for many different people. For me, it is a creative and cognitive exercise to convey the intangible parts of my mind into something perceivable. In the end, what it means for you, is for you and you alone to figure out."
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Ellie listened carefully to Chiharu's explanation, and while she didn't say anything, she very much appreciated that her friend wasn't talking down to her like almost everyone did. Still, it was obvious that the girl wasn't particularly satisfied by this answer.
'Yeah, but... What did it mean to you? What inspired you to play it the way you did? I mean... I could sense something in it. There were patterns... No, it was more than that. It was... Emotions'
'Yeah, but... What did it mean to you? What inspired you to play it the way you did? I mean... I could sense something in it. There were patterns... No, it was more than that. It was... Emotions'
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<To be entirely honest, I've never really thought about it before>
Chiharu takes a short moment to contemplate her response. After a swirl of her glass and a few thoughtful breaths, she begins her explanation, "As you've probably noticed, I'm not exactly as, Emotive, as most people. I'm usually calm, quiet, and confident, despite what I might be feeling at the time. But, because a person has to acknowledge and experience their emotions, or suffer from instability, I needed to find a way to do that for myself. So I play piano, it's my way of feeling the things I neglect to at other times."
Chiharu takes a short moment to contemplate her response. After a swirl of her glass and a few thoughtful breaths, she begins her explanation, "As you've probably noticed, I'm not exactly as, Emotive, as most people. I'm usually calm, quiet, and confident, despite what I might be feeling at the time. But, because a person has to acknowledge and experience their emotions, or suffer from instability, I needed to find a way to do that for myself. So I play piano, it's my way of feeling the things I neglect to at other times."
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Ellie nodded. That made sense, of course - everybody had their way of expressing themselves. Some people did it through extroverted means, others - through introverted ones, such as creating art. Even she knew that, despite not having spoken to too many people. But then again...
'Yeah, but you didn't really answer my question' she smiled, leaning slightly on the table. 'What does it mean? What were you feeling while you played this particular tune?'
'Yeah, but you didn't really answer my question' she smiled, leaning slightly on the table. 'What does it mean? What were you feeling while you played this particular tune?'
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Chiharu shrugs as she responds with, "I don't know... I really, honestly have no idea. I just do it and afterwards I feel like there's been a pressure lifted off my shoulders. As for the actual feelings however, I can't say as to exactly what they were."
Then to punctuate her statement she finishes with an afterward, "Sorry."
Then to punctuate her statement she finishes with an afterward, "Sorry."
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'It's alright' Ellie smiled, though it was clear from her face that she wasn't satisfied with the answer. 'It's just kind of... Weird. Illogical. I mean, why would you ever do anything without knowing why? Like, a real, honest reason? Or... Is it just me who is weird for thinking like that? Honestly, I've kinda been unable to tell recently..." she turned her head down, her white eyes facing the glass in front of her.
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Chiharu replies in a deliberately skeptical and surprised tone, "You can't tell me that you've never done something just because you felt like it. Where your only reason was that you wanted to do it."
As she shifts in her seat, Chiharu is reminded of the ringbox in her pocket. However, rather than bring that up now, she decides to use the knowledge of it in the current conversation. "There's probably things you do for fun all the time that have no logical reasoning behind them, like enjoying anime."
As she shifts in her seat, Chiharu is reminded of the ringbox in her pocket. However, rather than bring that up now, she decides to use the knowledge of it in the current conversation. "There's probably things you do for fun all the time that have no logical reasoning behind them, like enjoying anime."
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'Well, that's kinda different, isn't it?' Ellie turned her head up, suddenly reminding herself that she was supposed to "look" at the people she was talking to. 'I mean, watching anime is a passive activity, like listening to music. You can just do it for fun, or to pass the time. But active actions, like making music, require some sort of reason... I think. I mean... There has to be something deeper than "I just felt like it", right?'
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"Not really. You see, while you're asking why, I'm asking why not. If someone desires to do something and they can see no reason not to do it, they're most likely gonna do it."
<Why do I have the feeling this isn't about me playing piano anymore... I should be careful with my words from here on>
<Why do I have the feeling this isn't about me playing piano anymore... I should be careful with my words from here on>
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'Oh...' Ellie looked down again, not even aware that she was doing it. Her mind was faster than those of most people, even when compared to adults in their prime, but even she needed a few moments to process everything. Being a child prodigy whose sole parent had a degree in business management had shaped her to be rather analytical and rational person, so learning that most people were so illogical was a bit of a shock to her.
'So... Do you think that's why my uncle left, too? Just because he could?'
'So... Do you think that's why my uncle left, too? Just because he could?'
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Chiharu took a deep breath before responding in a straight forward manner.
"I don't know for sure what happened to your uncle, but I do know he cared about you and your mom quite a lot. So what ever the reason for his disappearance was, I'm certain part of it was out of his control. Whether he was kidnapped, he didn't have a choice to stay, or he's trying to protect you from whatever he managed to get himself into. There's an endless amount of possibilities why he disappeared, trying to constantly speculate those possibilities without more information is pointless."
<Anyways, you'd never even be able to guess the real reason>
"I don't know for sure what happened to your uncle, but I do know he cared about you and your mom quite a lot. So what ever the reason for his disappearance was, I'm certain part of it was out of his control. Whether he was kidnapped, he didn't have a choice to stay, or he's trying to protect you from whatever he managed to get himself into. There's an endless amount of possibilities why he disappeared, trying to constantly speculate those possibilities without more information is pointless."
<Anyways, you'd never even be able to guess the real reason>
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'Yeah... I guess so...' Ellie sighed sadly. 'I just can't help but worry, you know? My mom isn't treating it very seriously, she just thinks it's one of his crazy schemes again. But I'm not so sure... It isn't like him to just drop off the face of the Earth. But at the same time, I really don't want to believe that something... Happened to him' she turned her her head to the side, cold shivers running down her spine at the sheer mention of the possibility.
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<Should I tell her what I know? Can I trust her not to tell her mother? Inna would no doubt go to the police if she knew. But what if she only knew part of it... If I'm going to try something like that, I'll have to be careful with what I say, so it would be best if I wait until she's here for me to talk to her directly>
Silence filled the air as Chiharu tried to come up with some way to comfort the girl before her. This only lasted a short while before she broke the silence with a calm voice saying, "I think it'd be best if we take our minds off this for now. No point in dwelling on something that is unpleasant and which we can't change."
Silence filled the air as Chiharu tried to come up with some way to comfort the girl before her. This only lasted a short while before she broke the silence with a calm voice saying, "I think it'd be best if we take our minds off this for now. No point in dwelling on something that is unpleasant and which we can't change."
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