[Open] Neu! Situations

*Chika sits on a bench surrounded by garbage cans and a few old buckets salvaged from the dumpsters in the early morning set-up in the fashion of a make-shift drum kit. Glass plates with regular cymbals over them make up the hi-hats and she holds two rulers for drum sticks. Nicholas tweaks with his Fender Jazzmaster and a few pedals are at his feet, noticeably a sustain, reverb and delay. He strums, releasing a sustained, ethereal, aquatic-like tone. Looking back with slight uncertainty as whether they should really do this or not, clearly reluctant to preform in public, Chika nods reassuringly and he starts to play a funky, repetitive guitar line, complete with increasing swells and panoramas of ambient, dream-noise with Chika hitting the edge of the bucket for a woodblock effect with some shimmering on the hi-hats.

Mid way into the song I find myself standing and watching these two characters playing a song piece alien to my eardrums.

Carefully watching them (mainly the girl on the makeshift drum set) and getting into their music.

The piece is a bit slow for my taste and a bit trippy-sounding but my mind is generally am amused by it.

After the song ends I give a light applause and go up to speak with the little band.

"Hey there, that was pretty good. I do the same thing with the buckets when I want to make a makeshift set."

Nicholas already looking irritated and uncomfortable storms off quietly and Chika attempts to call after him.

"Hey! Nick? Nick, come back here!"

Her shouts are lost on his ears and he disappears in the crowd. Chika sighs before turning back to Satoshi and speaking in her deep, husky voice.

"Thanks, man. My brother, the one who just jetted off like a ghost, taught me that. He's a bit unorthodox when it comes to music. That's not really my original style."

Nick-his name is?

I can't help but think:

Nick? Where are you going? Nick?! STAHP!

This causes me to be in a little bit of a lighter mood than before.

"I learned from my family. Every summer we would have a music party with our neighbors in our garage and then at night we'd move to the fire pit and do acoustics. That style of drum set was used then."

Naturally, I am talking with my hands a bit. The little bit of Italian in me coming out through my speech/body language as I communicate.

"The style we'd use and the style I reccomend is to get stakes and glue them in the buckets so you can let more of the vibrations be released into the surrounding air instead of a majority in the ground."

"Only down side is you need some grass or dirt to play on."

"For any real recordings I'd suggest the music club room here. They got a lot of percussion and string instruments there-everything from a marimba to a string bass. No other categories for obvious reasons."

I reach out my hand to the girl in front of me.

"Name's Satoshi Veach. You may call me whatever you like."

Chika grins and loosely shakes his hand, her posture relaxed into a slouch and her air calm and collected save a tiny bit of frustration.

"That's an interesting technique...thing is I ain't a drummer primarily. I'm a guitar girl. Alternative. Name's Chika. Chika Harrison-Dazai. Just plain ol' Chika is fine."

She relinquishes her hand.

"Meh...those instruments sound like they're up Nick's alley. I'm content with my cheap Japanese Stratocaster."

I may be a musician but I am only a percussionist. Not really big on the names of guitars.

From the information I can gather though, I can deem it safe to infer that the guitar is a fairly basic model while still being capable.

"I'm a percussionist, myself. Mainly on mallet instruments, piano, and the set."

"My style is generally along the lines of western post-hardcore or blues."

I close my eyes with a grin as I put my hand on the back of my head.

"I'm not exactly Japanese as you could probably infer from my last name."

I return back to my normal facial expression while keeping my grin on.

For the first time I actually catch Chika's eyes with my own and begin observations.

Generally mellow. A bit of a natural musician but as a result isn't completely normal as are most artists.

Quite casual as well. A friendly type.

Works well with others probably from having to watch her brother.

Physical note: Kind of cute-looking as well. Seems to have nice eyes. Fairly short and not too well built. A similar body structure to mine, though I feel if she were a guy she would still be a little more scrawny than me.

Looks generally normal, nothing on the surface. With the way she acts all round perhaps she has a similar disorder to mine but it is unlikely.

Not really often you meet someone with a cross breed of two different disorders that both knock you out on a whim.

Regardless, she must have something underneath...

"If you ever need to find the room just ask a teacher or listen closely while walking in the third floor hallways."

"They don't have the best sound-proofing and I'm there right after classes almost every day-some times even during lunch-so there is often noise coming from there."

I'm half tempted to give the music thing a go with my new aqcuaintance when I look at a guitar next to a guitar player...and-y'know-a drumset with me by it and a pair of vic firths in my stick bag but I hold off since I just met her.

Dude-you better show up some time. After passing off a moment like this for the sake of not being rude-you totally owe me a session.

"So, yeah...stop by if you like later on."

Chika smiles and raises her eyebrows.

"Post-hardcore, huh? Interesting... Ever heard of Slint? They're post-hardcore from the late 80's/early 90's? Tweez, you might like...well depends. Anyway,sure. I'll be happy to stop by later. I need to work on some new techniques so..."

Her voice trails off and she shrugs, drifting off on the stop, looking toward the direction Nicholas went off to, her face turning serious.

"Not really of the name but I have heard a lot of music in my days so it's likely I heard that kind before."

I study Chika's facial expression as well as her tense body language as she glances off where that Nick kid went.

I can't keep her any longer with a look like that...

I give a chuckle thats more like a heavy exhale through my nose. Letting out a quick hum noise and putting on my trademark smirk.

"Hm...Go on and check on him."

I start to walk off in the direction of the school. Turning toward the girl as I walk around her.

Still with my grin on I put my right pointer to my temple and give a small flick of my wrist away from it.

"I'll see you around."

And with that, I turn back around facing the direction oppasite from her.

Chika shakes her head and says aloud to him but mostly to herself.

"No. He...I'll let him have his time alone. I smother him too much. "

She catches up to Satoshi and starts walking side by side with him.

"So...where'ya headed to now? Back ta class?"

"I~"

Never thought of that...

"-eeee do not know."

"I guess anywhere quiet for me so do my own thing."

I don't know why but I don't mention I was going to a quiet place to draw. Instead saying 'do my own thing.'

"Just do whatever I guess."

Just natural responce I suppose. Not like I'm lying or anything.

"Hmmm....?"

Chika cocks her head slightly to the side in thought, her current angle gives a look at the wide cerulean sky with the occasional cloud plume wafting by. They continue walking in silence.

The sky also draws my attention.

It's my favorite time of day. The time when the sky turns a robin's egg blue.

A light mutter escapes my lips. Speaking to myself but audible.

"To be able to fly in such a beautiful sky..."

My peripheral vision reminds me that I am not the only one here.

My eyes naturally glance down at the face of curiosity and I blush a little.

"Eh..heheheh!...Heh...sorry."

Waytehgo, boy. You just said something out of no where that is so out of context, you confused someone.

Smooth.

I look ahead. My face directed at a downward angle in hopes that I am not confronted about it.

Chika pays no heed, clearly zoned out of her surroundings. She hears you utter those words but keeping on walking silently. Then she speaks.

"I never understood why people equate flight with freedom. And why people are so keen to embrace it. Think about it. Freedom is a scary thing...Say you got the power to fly. Many people want to fly because they want to escape something or somewhere. They believe they are free because they can fly above everyone else. But they still constrained by gravity (both figurative and literal), turbulence, prone to crashing....still the same things as down below. Wherever you go, you are still shackled by the fact that you exist. It's still a weight you can't remove. You have to come down to Earth eventually and you'll grow tired of it like everything else."

Chika laughs and ruefully shakes her head.

"I probably came off completely stupid... I feel like a shallow pool compared to others sometimes..."

She sighs.

No...no Chika-that is totally off.

My voice becomes changed. Less refined.

A careless quiet but again audible.

This time directed at her.

"Hm. That is not the point."

"Sure you get used to flying but you never get used to the feeling-the very absolute essence of freedom."

"Have you ever experienced 'runner's high?'"

"The same effect is produced in an experienced pilot. The only difference is the dosage of the feeling."

"A pilots high is the same but at 360° movement. The feeling through a high-G maneuver."

"The feeling of freedom you get after performing a split S...After a bank right into a dive..."

"Those feelings simply cannot be replicated even if you were aboard a rocket shooting into space."

"It's not something I can imagine anyone getting used to and I haven't even ever been in a plane before."

"I don't know about you but I would not fly for more than just that. No reason of escaping problems or life because that is still life."

"In my opinion, the very best of life."

"I could crash. I could die-no not just die-I could disintegrate and you can bet that I wouldn't mind dying while experiencing the ultimate feeling of gold."

"A feeling like liquid platinum coursing through my veins."

Every word of mine that came out of my mouth was not even thought of. Every syllable of every statement came from my mind or heart. Not a single one polished or buffed by my consciousness. All legit and true.

This makes my facial expression straight forward. Emotionless from deep thought.

A captivated look.

Chika walks along and then stops after your philosophical tangent. She looks ahead and her eyes are distant but they return to her normal, aloof attitude with the usual shrug of the shoulders as if the action expelled a weight she didn't want to carry or put an end to a conversation she felt she was clearly inept in. The latter could be extremely plausible.

*pop*

Suddenly I am back to reality. My intense thought extinguished.

After the silence I can't help but think:

AWWwwh! You broke it!

"Ehh...sorry."

At this point we enter the school's main lobby area.

Chika turns to you as they enter the main lobby.

"Well Satoshi...I guess this is where we part."

She runs her hands through her messy blond hair and stretches, shutting her eyes tight and letting out an obscenely loud yawn.

'"I'm fucking hungry. And bored. Maybe, I'll head to town for some essentials and shit since me and Nick actually start tomorrow... And possibly catch a flick in the city. Maybe..."

Chika eases out of her audible thoughts and looks up at you, grinning sheepishly.

"I guess I'll see you on the flipside, man. Take care."

Chika gives him a pat on the shoulder and slight push off as she starts to exit out of the main building.

Damn-she's so casual. I'm going to have to relax around her a bit more.

The mellow attitude of mine let's my body be pushed to the side without balance corrections until nearly the last second so I do not fall.

I return the grin with my own usual grinning facial expression.

"Later, you."

I think I could really get to know this one...

With that, I put in my ear buds and head off to the Tea Room.