The Bookstore {Reiji / Open}

[Tomoko Hashimoto]

In the heart of the city, there is a small bookshop. It isn't the only one, but it is one of the smallest and, in Tomoko's opinion, it had the best selection of mystery novels.

She was currently sitting in the back of the store, among a pile of books that she had thought promising. Her nose was buried in a particularly large volume of collective Sherlock Holmes books. She was so absorbed and so quietly fascinated that it was doubtful she could even hear the people that walked by. Not that there were many. The owner of the bookstore did everything in his power to stop people from actually buying books, but had long since stopped caring about the Japanese girl who came in to get her fingerprints all over his detective books. Her mother had done him a favor years before - an especially nasty spirit had been haunting the store.

The owner leaned over the counter, checking to see if Tomoko was still there. She was. He shook his head and went back to reading, himself.

Tomoko shifted position. Reading was fun, but she could feel her legs going numb. And it didn't help that a ghost had been watching her for about five minutes. It was very minor, not even a ghost really. Just a benign spirit, a feeling. It didn't have many features, looking like a blob with arms and some holes for eyes. It was actually quite cute. Or it would have been, if it hadn't been looking over her shoulder.

She scooted to the left, trying to concentrate on her book again. The spirit moved with her, and Tomoko scooted again. It kept following her. She got up and, still trying to read, she walked all around the store. The store owner watched her, boredly. Her strange behavior, coupled with her strange fashion sense, made him regret that he let her into the store at all. Who wears a kimono into a bookstore? He thought, and returned to his book, bemused.

Tomoko was, in fact, wearing a yukata, but she hated it just as much as any ceremonial clothing she had to wear. It was a "shrine day," so-called because it was when the shrine was open to the public as a festival. Her mother and grandmother did fortune telling as well as general tours and small history lessons. Tomoko was expected to go to the small festivals, but she often "forgot" to show up. Today, she was hiding out in the bookstore. It was her misfortune to have been forced to wear the traditional clothing before she could sneak out in plainclothes. She was half hiding so she didn't have to do any work, and half so that she didn't see anyone she knew that would make fun of her. She felt very self-conscious when she had to wear the traditional Japanese clothing. She often got into arguments with her grandmother about it - her grandmother staunchly adhered to tradition and protocol. That was why Tomoko was dressed up, and why she refused to participate in her family's stupid goddamn festival.

[Reiji Shiranui]

[atrb=cellpadding,30,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,background:url(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15865368/nd/00009k2x.png);width:350px;border:1px solid #dfdfdf;border-radius:60px;] REIJI SHIRANUI WORDS 523   TAGS Tomoko Hashimoto   NOTES First post, getting a hang of Reiji's character. Bear with me xD Reiji was not the talkative individual, no, he was in fact quite the opposite of talkative. Unlike the beast sealed within him, who insists on annoying him until hell freezes over… which would not be in a long long time. Of all the personalities the beasts could have in this world, why was Reiji the one stuck with an overly stupid noisy nosy creature? '… And then I started wondering why the sky was blue and why clouds had to be fluffy white. I mean, isn't that weird? Why BLUE? Why not MAGENTA?' For over an hour the beast had been bugging him with stupid philosophy questions like 'what is love?' and, quite frankly, Reiji was sick of it. What's worse is there was nothing else for him to do but walk and listen to this idiot talk until he finds something to do. Running a hand through his hair and letting out an exasperated sigh, he continued his unhurried stroll around town. Reiji liked to call these casual walks 'patrols'. It's not like he was doing this thing for fun. He was a vigilante for god sakes, and liked to blame the police force in the city for their incompetence in preventing street crimes. So much that Reiji had begun personally taking justice to the streets. Though lately he's been finding it more and more difficult to concentrate on his rounds because of a rather loud and noisy creature sealed inside him. 'Back to the topic though Reiji… Where are we going?' The raven haired male almost facepalmed at the sheer stupidity sealed inside him. He could only hope the thing doesn't start effecting his amount of intelligence as well. "If you had actually paid attention the six hundred and seventy eight times I've said it when you asked, you would know that there is no destination" Reiji sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He needed a new environment that could distract him. Not really looking where he was walking, Reiji subconsciously entered a store. The bell that hung atop the door ringing to alert the owner of a new or leaving customer. Now this surprised Reiji. Of all places to run a smaller than average bookstore the owner chose to open shop in the middle of a busy city with this mediocre selection of books. Oh well, Reiji shrugged, taking two quiet steps into the store. The first thing he noticed was the strangely dressed girl walking all around the store in a… kimono? How ridiculously flamboyant. Reiji immediately assumed the girl was a store helper. The daughter or younger than average wife of the store owner maybe? Who else would wear a kimono to a bookstore at this time of day anyways? Reiji shrugged. Waiting for the pacing girl to pass in front of him before reaching out and simply plucking the book from her hands. He didn't even bother saying hi or excuse me, she was a worker after all, right? Reiji didn't care either way. He was content standing there, flipping through a collection of the popular detective series written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. table made by greyson of ote

[Tomoko Hashimoto]

Tomoko blinked. There had been a book in her hands only a moment ago. Now she was staring at her hands. Confused, she looked around. When she saw her book in the hands of a boy she didn't know, her eyes narrowed.

"HEY!" She snapped. "That's mine!"

The store owner muttered something behind her, possibly about how the book was still his unless she gave him seven dollars. Tomoko paid him no attention. She marched right up to this boy and drew herself up to her full height. She could feel the ghost latching on, attracted to the strong feelings. Tomoko (not so subtly) waved it off and adressed the boy again. "Don't you know it's a really douchey thing to do, to take books when someone's reading them?" As a snappy comeback, it lacked in spice. She crossed her arms and gave him a dirty look. "Give it back!"

Is every single teenage boy in South Isle a huge fucking dickwad? Tomoko thought bitterly. It was no wonder she didn't make friends - if the fact that she talked to invisible people scared people off, the fact that most people in the city were rude and mean made Tomoko glad they left her alone. Dealing with the dead was so much easier. Speaking of which...

She turned sharply. "What the fuck do you want?" She spat. The ghost had been hovering at the back of her neck, and it now was beginning to get on her nerves. The sheer force of her ire was enough to send the ghost shuffling into the back of the store. Tomoko huffed for a moment. First the festival, then her book....it was all too much trouble. She glared at the boy. "You know what? Keep it. I don't care." Too much hassle to get it back. She stomped to the back of the store, taking care to ingore the ghost. She should have exorised it months ago, but she wasn't in the mood.

[Reiji Shiranui]

[atrb=cellpadding,30,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,background:url(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15865368/nd/00009k2x.png);width:350px;border:1px solid #dfdfdf;border-radius:60px;] REIJI SHIRANUI WORDS 431   TAGS Tomoko Hashimoto   NOTES Yaaay! Ever had one of those days where nothing seems to go right and shit just starts hitting the fan randomly? Yea, this was one of those days. All Reiji wanted was some peaceful time to relax, preferably accompanied with cake, tea, and a book but noooo, everything starts turning on him. How was he supposed to know the girl wasn't a worker here? She looked busy, walking around with a book and everything. "Don't you know it's a really douchey thing to do, to take books when someone's reading them? Give it back!" Reiji's eyes widened for a fraction of a second. That didn't sound ladylike at all, in fact, it sounded mildly scary. He diverted his attention from the book to the girl, then back to the book. The male was contemplating his course of action through this harsh one-sided verbal exchange, he wasn't experienced with talking to scary girls or even girls in general. 'REJECTED! You need to improve on your womanizing skills Reiji.' Said teenager flinched. Womanizing? Wait, he wasn't trying to hit on her or anything! Flustered, he opened his mouth to snap at the stupid beast, but immediately closed it upon realizing that the girl was probably still fuming at him, and he expected her to throw another verbal insult. Instead, she had turned around and cussed into… thin air? Man, girls are weird. "You know what? Keep it. I don't care." 'Oh snap! It's okay Reiji, don't feel discouraged or anything! There's plenty more fish in the ocean for you to pick~' Okay that's it. The raven haired male snapped the book closed, since his day has already been very unrightfully ruined by his companion of sorts, he might as well go return the book and apologize or something. He just hopes the girl won't explode, he heard from a comedy sitcom that girls explode when they're extremely agitated, but since no explosions have been taking place in town Reiji just assumed all girls were extremely ladylike in South Isle. Well, except one maybe? He seems to have found a very volatile and dangerous female. Ignoring the Raiju's occasional snickers at his scientific hypothesis on the female specimen Reiji made his way to the girl, who was practically growling at him from a corner at this point. "Here" He held the book in front of him with one hand, the other in his pocket. He didn't want to look nice or anything, he was just returning the stupid book, right? "Sorry. For taking your book I mean." he muttered. table made by greyson of ote

[Tomoko Hashimoto]

Tomoko stared at the boy as if he had just grown broccoli out of his head.

"O-oh." She took the book carefully, trying to hide the shocked look on her face. To be perfectly honest, she hadn't expected him to apologize at all. She was pleasantly surprised, and although she was still grumpy, she softened up somewhat. She made a mental note to stop expecting every male she met to act like Isamu - not that she was friends with him or anything. "Thanks," she said. She looked at him curiously. "You know the bookstore carries more than one copy of this, right?" She waved the book in question.

Book safely back in her possession, she took this opportunity to inspect this kid. Good practice for detecting. He had a bored expression, and stood a good five or so inches taller than her. He needed a haircut, though - it was shaggy and messy. As if Tomoko was one to talk - her hair was long simply because she couldn't be bothered to go in and get it cut. The boy looked about her age, maybe a little older, and he was undeniably Asian. Outside of these deductions, Tomoko could tell very little about him. She wasn't at Sherlock Holme's level quite yet.

However, Tomoko had her own way of figuring things out about mysterious people - her usual nosey nature surfaced. "What's your name? Do you do that a lot? Take books while people are reading them, that is." She paused, adding, "Do you ever change facial expressions?" Tomoko was someone to ask a lot of questions, and this boy was no exception. If he thought the questions would stop here, he was in for a rude awakening.

[Reiji Shiranui]

[atrb=cellpadding,30,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,background:url(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15865368/nd/00009k2x.png);width:350px;border:1px solid #dfdfdf;border-radius:60px;] REIJI SHIRANUI WORDS 510   TAGS Tomoko Hashimoto   NOTES Awkward Reiji ftw ouo b 'Well this is awkward' Reiji thought to himself, hand (now free from the book) returning to his side. It didn't take a genius to figure out he was tense. At home, he was taught table manners and whatnot, but no one taught him how to talk to girls. Though he quickly wished someone had now. The tension felt like a rabid hamster clawing at his throat, and it's not a good feeling in case anyone was wondering. All it took was a 'thanks', a single word allowed Reiji to exhale the enormous amount of air that had accumulated in his lungs. He had the urge to put a hand to his chest just to check if his heartbeat would return to normal but held the thought when the girl before him started waving the previously returned book in the air. "You know the bookstore carries more than one copy of this, right?" Still slightly flustered, Reiji began rubbing at the back of his neck. A little nervous habit he developed over the years. "It seemed convenient, I mean, you were just passing by and I thought you were a worker so I thought…" Reiji trailed off, he really sucked at talking to the opposite sex. In his defense, talking to girls was not a mandatory human skill and is therefore, not a necessity in his opinion. Another awkward silence. Great. Just what he needed. Reiji was half-heartedly willing the Raiju sealed inside him to say something and at least humor him a bit, but no. The beast decided to shut up at this point. Perfect, just perfect. As if having a staring contest, Reiji was staring right back at the girl, who seemed to be… analyzing him? Girls are seriously weird. Reiji was about to break the uncanny silence when he was hit by a barrage of questions. Surprised, he fell back slightly, barely regaining his footing just in time to prevent a bookshelf from toppling over. "What's your name? Do you do that a lot? Take books while people are reading them, that is."

[/b]

Reiji blinked, still slightly shocked by the outburst. "U-Um… Reiji Shiranui, and no, I don't usually take books from people. I just thought you were a worker since you looked kinda busy, walking about the store like that…" He trailed off again, transitioning into a softer tone.

Do you ever change facial expressions?[/b]

Okay well, that was a new one. No one really questioned Reiji about his demeanor before, but he had been planning to simply remain silent should someone ask him such things, and, being the stubborn bull of a teenager he is, Reiji followed his original plan to stay silent at the question. Not to seem rude but, he can't control what he can't control.

After another lingering pause (they seem to happen a lot lately), Reiji opened his mouth to speak. "So… What about you?" he asked, stuffing both hands into his pants pockets. He thought it only fair after all, as he shouldn't be the only one interrogated here.[/div]

table made by greyson of ote

[/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[Tomoko Hashimoto]

Tomoko crossed her arms. "Even if I did work here - which I don't, by the way - that was still pretty rude," she said. It was a little embarrassing to be mistaken for a worker, but she was in the bookstore quite a lot. Maybe it was the yukata. In any case, she wasn't really angry anymore. Tomoko was riled up fairly easily, but she calmed down quickly. It was funny how awkward this kid was, though. His obvious tenseness was making her feel tense. She grinned. "Reiji, right? You need to relax or something. I'm not going to stab you." She gave him a mildly amused look, bordering on sheepish. "I didn't mean to snap at you," she said, waving her free hand in front of her face. "I've just been having a really bad day."

Reiji didn't say anything about his face, which Tomoko didn't fault him for. She had sort of thrown the question out there. She wouldn't lose any sleep over the fact that his face must just be stuck like that. It was almost funny, especially since he looked so uncomfortable. She wondered why. Was his face really stuck like that? She resisted the urge to push up the corners of his mouth with her fingers.

"So...what about you?"

Tomoko bristled. "My face is perfectly fine!" She was very expressive, and she knew it. After a moment, she realized he was probably asking her name. She turned a bit pink. "Oh. Um. I'm Tomoko Hashimoto," she said quickly. She held out her free hand to shake. "Nice to meet you," she said, and meant it. Hopefully, this guy would be less of a dickwad than other people Tomoko had the displeasure of meeting. She'd get to the ghost in the back when Reiji left.

[Reiji Shiranui]

[atrb=cellpadding,30,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,background:url(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15865368/nd/00009k2x.png);width:350px;border:1px solid #dfdfdf;border-radius:60px;] REIJI SHIRANUI WORDS 453   TAGS Tomoko Hashimoto   NOTES Catfish Reiji, lawl. Shifting uncomfortably in his position, Reiji muttered something along the lines of 'but I said sorry already', though it probably came out sounding like a near inaudible stutter. The teen did not enjoy being in his current position one bit. He felt like a spider in the tube of a vacuum cleaner, eager to crawl out, but afraid to be sucked right back in. It made it even worse to realize he had absolutely zero talent at speaking to girls, and that every comment she makes out of the blue could probably make him jump. "Reiji, right? You need to relax or something. I'm not going to stab you." Said teen didn't relax, he tried to, but couldn't. Growing up Reiji figured it was safe to say he had nix communication with girls his age, the only human of the female species he conversed with moderately-freely was his mother. Whom he found slightly more predictable, but females in general, freak him out. 'This is why I'm asexual' Reiji thought, timidly glancing away to avoid blushing. Blushing = loss of dignity, and the raven haired vigilante did not want that. He did nod understandingly when the girl spoke about having a bad day, heck, he was having a pretty crappy day himself. Through a bit more awkward verbal communication, Reiji learned of the other's name. 'Tomoko Hashimoto', he mentally repeated the phrase in his mind. His personal way to remember things. Typically names. Reiji had been taken aback by her sudden… bounciness? He couldn't quite put a finger on it, through another mood swing the girl had transitioned from grumpy to… not so grumpy anymore. Are all girls this strange? One of Reiji's eyebrows rose quizzically at the quick change in atmosphere. She went from calling him 'douchey' to greeting him with a 'nice to meet you'. Okay, Reiji was not THE TOP CLASS SOCIAL BUTTERFLY but he could honestly say that in all his eighteen years of life this was quite possibly the strangest conversation he had with the female species. Determined to make the most out of the mildly-amusing conversation, Reiji opened his mouth to speak. He was trying to hide his nervousness and a slight blush, though he wouldn't be surprised if the other saw right through him. "A-About what you did earlier… I-I mean, cussing into thin air. This is just a hunch but, can you see things?" Reiji stressed the word 'things', but for extra measure, the tall teen brought the base of both palms to his ears, his fingers wriggling about as if suggesting something ominous. Really, he doubted his impression looked anything better than that of a catfish, but no matter. As long as Tomoko got the point. table made by greyson of ote

[Tomoko Hashimoto]

Tomoko pursed her lips. "Mayyyybe," she said, drawing out the word, as if she was a young child and not a young lady. "I might see things." She mimicked his so-called catfish face as she emphasized things.

What was mostly funny is how nervous this guy looked. He was totally blushing - was he shy? Tomoko tilted her head. Boys were weird. "In any case," she said quickly, "It's none of your beeswax." She gave him a level look as she pushed the sleeves of her yukata up. A yukata was, by definition, much lighter than a regular kimono, but it was still stuffy and awkward and claustrophobic. Tomoko would have much rather been in a tank top and shorts. Oh well. She heard a small scuffle from the back - the blobby ghost was hovering around a bookshelf, looking increasingly agitated. Tomoko gave Reiji a look before walking over to the ghost. It kept giving her furtive glances, trying and failing to look inconspicuous. Tomoko's eyes flicked over the bookshelf - ah.

There was a book that seemed to be covered in shadow, a dark feeling that gave Tomoko the creeps. She touched the spine lightly with a finger. It was very cold, although she was willing to bet money that a human without the sense for the supernatural would never notice. The ghost must be haunting this book, she noted. She grabbed it and made a beeline for the counter. "I'd like to buy this, please."

The purchase took only a few moments, and it was only a second before Tomoko had returned to Reiji. "Sorry about that," she said. "I was just, um, really interested in this book. I love..." She fished out the book from the plastic bag and read the title. "...The Human Brain." She paused. It could have been worse - it could have been, like, the Kama Sutra or something equally embarrassing. After she got rid of the ghost, maybe she'd read the book. She opened it and began flipping through, curious. "It's got pictures," she said without much expression. "Hooray," she added, a bit monotone.