[Event AQ] Swishy Wishy Tree [Daichi/Yasuko]

[Daichi]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}
[Low-level]
Wishing Tree!
Description: The old tree in the park where the festival is held is known to be a wishing tree, the effects of which are only increased during Tanabata. Write a wish, tie it on a branch, and surely it’ll come true!
Visit the tree and make a wish!: +1 Guardians, +1 Faberge, +1 Roost
Make more than one wish; the branches seem pretty empty anyway!: -1 Guardians, +2 Faberge
Take a friend and discuss your wishes together: +2 Guardians, -1 Faberge
Requirements: None
Original submitted by Catrifer

Daichi doesn't know why he's here. Okay that wasn't really true he knew why he was here, his friend Ekewaka and cheerful, bright and loud third year made him come. He had no say in the matter. If you asked him a few weeks ago about coming to Tanabata he would have happily went! But now... But now he just had to much on his mind. Miuna and Takeo were both X. He had no idea where they were. Miuna seemed to at least be present in the world but- Takeo had just left, vanished. None of his texts got any reply, no tweet, nothing. As much as he wished, and he wanted to just be able to forgot about all of that for a moment and enjoy himself here. He couldn't. 

It was always in the back of his mind. What if they got hurt? What if they get in over their head? What if its too late to save them... He couldn't shake though ideas.

The Hero in training was standing by the wishing tree, leaning up against its trunk. Turned away from the festival. Every now and then someone would come up and put another wish on the trees branches. They never paid him any mind as they talked with their friends or a walked away back to the food stalls and the games.  Daichi blended in quite nicely with everyone. He also wore a Yukata with some, boring colors, nothing really grand or exciting. The only thing he may be noticed for was the kitsune mask he wore on his face. It was pretty handy for hiding your face when you dont want to talk to anyone. 

He was going to, eventually, write a wish down on the small piece of paper he had in his hand. Eventually. 

[Yasuko Kobayashi]

Yasuko stared at blank paper in her hand. A black pen was in the other, but it was left still capped, the girl unable to think of what wish to make. Honestly that Yasuo. She did say that she didn't want to make a wish, didn't she? And yet here she was, with a colourful piece of paper in her hand, while her brother pondered over what he should write. She scowled up at him. Honestly, she didn't even want to be here either; Tanabata was a cheerful, colourful and bright festival. A place of celebration. A place to be happy about. But she couldn't do that.

Not with everything that had happened in school...

"Look Yasuo, there really isn't any point to this," she said with a sigh, crossing her arms across her chest. She didn't know what to wish for anyway. Sure her brother had suggested some, but honestly she didn't have the heart to write them down. She wasn't really into them. Wish to get better in writing? Wish to get further in Faberge? Wish for better grades? Honestly, she didn't feel much about them anymore. What was the point of writing wishes down when they feel so shallow to you now?

" 'Course there is!" Always a positive boy. Her brother flashed her a bright smile, his unruly brown hair waving slightly in the breeze, before he hung his purple coloured paper onto one of the branches. But he soon stopped, furrowing his brows together. "Hmm, the branches looked a little empty..." Yasuo said, his hand raised to tap a finger on his chin in thought. "Oh I know!" He turned back, grinning at his sister. "I'll go get more! More papers for us to write wishes on!" That was a brilliant idea, wasn't it?

Not to his little sister it wasn't - if her expression of disbelief was anything to go by. "Yasuo! You shouldn't be greedy!" she cried indignantly.

But her brother had already turned upon his heel, heading towards the direction of where they kept the papers. He simply laughed at her yells. "Don't worry Yasuko! I'll be back in just a second!"

Yasuko blinked.

And gave a defeated sigh.

Honestly, she couldn't do anything when her brother was like this.

She straightened herself up, her gaze turned slightly towards the festival. It was bright and colourful, exactly how it had always been every year. Voices from far away, their words too indecipherable to comprehend, mingled in and over each other, the crowd of festival-goers enjoying whatever Tanabata had to offer. The aroma of Japanese street food, wafting in between as people bought and brought their foodstuffs all around. The whispers and shouts of people and children talking about and writing their wishes near the tree.

She sighed.

Seeing the festival wasn't doing her mood much good.

She walked up towards the tree, trying to find an isolated spot. Maybe even to sit down and wait for her brother. She didn't know how long he'll take - heck it might even only be a few minutes - but right now she didn't care. She just didn't want to see or hear much of the festival going on down below.

But as she rounded the tree, she spotted someone else. Someone very familiar...

"Daichi?" she called, surprised.

[Daichi]

Actually Daichi had been listening to the two talking, sorta. It wasn't really listening more like background noise that was playing. He didn't recall or retained what they talked about, only the fact that there were two more people coming towards the tree. He didn't turn he said to see who it was until they called out his name.

" Hm?" Daichi turned to the voice calling out to him. Though the last person he excepted to see was Yasuko. He offered the girl a small wave. " Hey, Yasuko..." Ah, so she was here too? Daichi didn't know what to say. That was clear on his face too. He lacked his normal smile or, normal and vaguely happy vibe. Instead in its place was just a stressed teenager. He was thinking even as he spoke to her, eye unfocused and clouded for a moment. Thinking if she knew about- everything that had happened. She should know about Miuna, thats a given with twitter. What about Takeo? And what happen to his egg and then- himself?

should he put on a fake smile and ask how she was, ask about her wish? Should he pretend just for a moment not be stressed out and down right panicked about the situation with his closest friends? What has he suppose to say?

Taiki would know, but... Taiki wasn't with him right now, Daichi had asked him to keep Ekewaka out of trouble while he played games. The little fairy was kind of reluctant to do so, but the boy had insisted. Now he didn't have a option to character change to make the situation easyier. Fuck.

[Yasuko Kobayashi]

Yasuko stopped, a slight furrow of her eyebrows as she looked at Daichi. Something...didn't feel quite right. She had only met him - well, truly met him, considering she wasn't exactly in control of herself the first time they had seen each other back at the library a few months ago - in the infirmary, after the big fight with the Egg Hunter, so she couldn't very well say he was someone she knew very well. Yet, from the little she had known of him, he seemed to be the kind of person who often exude a genuinely cheerful vibe. Maybe a sense of contentment, a sense of peacefulness around him even. Even back at the infirmary, he was smiling and being positive, despite his injuries.

But today...there simply wasn't one.

"Hey Daichi..." she began awkwardly, a hand half-raised as if to return his own wave to her. Was it just her, or was he not really...there? Like he wasn't truly concentrating on this moment? Was he thinking about something? Was something else occupying his thoughts? In fact, now that she had realised, he was behind the tree, facing a direction away from the festival. Did that mean anything?

There was a bit of a silence, a pause, as she wasn't sure what to say. What exactly should she do?

"Um...are you doing okay?"

[Daichi]

The boy let out a sigh, a reluctant one at that. He forced himself to step out of his own head. Pulling his eyebrows together. he spoke up. " Sorry, I'm- I have a lot on my mind." He said trying to explain his behavior. Running his hand through his hair, he continued. " Truthfully, I've been better." He quickly changed the subject to the girl. "How about you? Are you enjoying the festival?" He offered a small weak smile.

Daichi wanted to stay away from the festival, for awhile. He didn't want to come, but here he was. He wanted to be looking for his friends. He wanted to help them. Then again at the same time he would have been doing that, right now. But he wasn't he was just standing against the tree lost in his own head. What a coward. Maybe he stated away from the crowds the light and the people so he didn't spoil there fun, you know? What would you do if you saw a random sad kid wonder around? Surely it would be off putting to some.

He stayed away to be able to keep his sadness from dragging anyone else down with him. He could take care of himself. Ride out these bad feelings, until he was fine.

With the arrival of the unexpected Yasuko though, she had caught a glimpse of the tired hero.

Daichi tried to stand up straighter, and look at the girl will a little more hope in his eyes. It wasn't clear if it was real hope or not. " Are you going to make a wish?" he asked.

[Yasuko Kobayashi]

Yasuko could only look at him with an expression of concern, before she averted her eyes away. A lot on his mind huh? Was he...talking about Miuna? About the Egg Hunters? About...everything else? After all, Miuna and him seemed to be good friends, if Twitter was anything to go by. Oh right. It was as if in that moment, she realised that there were other people suffering from the same terrible situation. Was he...hurting in some way?

Should she press? Ask him again if he was okay once again? He had listened to her before, back in the infirmary, surely she must provide the same, right? Except...was she the right person for this? But before she could make a decision, he had quickly switched topics, asking her a question. "Oh, uh me?" she said, a finger pointed at herself as if to accentuate that point. "Well uh-" Now how exactly should she answer that? That she didn't initially wanted to be here? "I mean, it's a bright and colourful festival; it hadn't really changed I suppose." Not exactly the reply he was asking for - wait, was she potentially making the mood worse by mentioning those words? "My brother brought me here. He's the one that likes festivals. Always pigging out on festival food." What in the world was she doing? Small idle talk? Yeah small idle talk.

Yasuko blinked at the other's question before she seemed to realise what he just said. "Oh um-" the girl immediately looked down at her own coloured piece of paper. It had crumpled a little from her walk, and she attempted to smooth it out a little with her other hand. Wish huh? "I...I don't know really," she said, before she leaned against the tree trunk. There was a pause in her words, before she gave a sigh. Wish for herself? For her goals? For Faberge? For...Seiyo? For...everyone? "I don't...really know what to wish for." She looked back at Daichi, noticing his own strip of paper. "What about you? Do you have a wish in mind?"

[Daichi]

" Is that right?... I'm kinda in the same boat. My-uh friend dragged me here too." Daichi said truthfully shoulders sagging, relaxing slightly. She hadn't called him out for being, a downer- or at least looking like one. Small talk was nice. Maybe because it helped him avoid talking about himself in more detail. Either way it was nice.

He watched as she leaned against the tree trunk and spoke up. " That's alright if you don't know. This tree is around all year, you can always come back." He offered to her. Wishes take time and thought.
Daichi himself didn't really like the idea of wishes- Well unconscious ones, like the one that made Taiki and other guardians characters were fine. Guardians were better then wishes people could consciously make. The little fairy's were a need, rather then a want. If that made sense.

Making a wish on a sheet of paper was, silly, at best. It was good for small wishes like wishing for a good day tomorrow, small wishes. Things you don't really effect you that much if they don't happen. Bigger wishes had to be carried out by your own means. You can't wish for money if you don't want to work hard. Even if he was given a choice to wish and wish that would no doubt come true. He doesn't think he would take it.

"Hm? Oh, No. No, not really." He said looking back to the paper in his hand. We wanted to wish for his friends to be cured and okay. That wasn't just going to happen though. No piece of paper tied to a tree could do that. He would have to do it himself. Curing was also tricky, if he cured them, but did fix the problem then, they would just turn X again right?

The boy sighed.

[Yasuko Kobayashi]

"Ah," was her only response to his words, though it seemed rather devoid of much emotion and was more of an acknowledgement of what he said. His friend brought him here huh? Briefly, she wondered what kind of person they were - perhaps someone as positive as Daichi? - before she waved that thought away. It didn't seem important at the moment.

Her hands gripped the strings of her pouch tightly as she leaned against the tree trunk, her thumb lightly brushing against them rather subconsciously. Almost like in a uncertain, slightly apprehensive manner. Yet, as her eyes simply stared down on her hands, the gesture somehow felt calming. In a strange sort of sense. She perked up slightly at the boy's response, before she let her head drop back again, her thumb still brushing at the strings, feeling the taut texture. The tree is here all year round huh? She supposed he was right; she could come back anything to make a wish.

Not that she was big on wishes in general. She was someone who believed in making wishes come true by herself; that one needed to work hard for them if they had any hope of having their wish granted. If one had asked her in the months before Seiyo, she would probably have scoffed at the idea of writing wishes down on paper - unlike her brother, who seemed to like the idea for goodness knows what reason, she thought of this whole wishing thing as silly. How could a tree grant wishes? Who had the power to just...immediately change the world so that you could have what you want? She probably would have said something about it right now. Except...with everything that had happened so far, she didn't feel like she really wanted to argue. So all she did was give a quiet nod before her eyes were back onto her hands again.

Hearing the boy sigh, she glanced over to him for a moment, her eyebrows furrowing a little in a bit of a concerned manner. Was he really doing okay? She hadn't pressed earlier, but now she wasn't so sure if doing that was a good idea. People had said that bottling it all up was bad right? And besides he had heard her out before, right? It was only fair she should do the same right? Um...

She seemed silent, for a good while, before she finally opened her mouth. "Do you...want to talk about it?" She wondered if that was the right thing to ask. Or was she being pressing? Jesus, she really didn't know how to deal with these situations. Wait, did she potentially jump the gun here? Did she misinterpret his sigh somehow? Or was he not willing to talk about it? "Um--! But I mean, that's if you want to talk about it; I mean I just thought since you heard me out last time maybe you could, you know, talk to me, but like if it's something you're not really comfortable with, we could always talk about something else instead--" She was getting flustered, playing with her hands nervously as she simply let out what appeared to a barrel of words. Okay what was she doing?

[Daichi]

Daichi was actually surprised Yasuko asked. He turned his head to look at her. He was going to say something until she started getting flustered with her statement. He noticed her playing with her hands, it was clear she wasn't to confident in what to do at all. Which was fine. She was trying after all.

" It's alright, Yasuko. " He started, she was doing fine and everything was okay. In the looses sense anyways. " Listen I'm just a little stressed out. It's nothing major, I'll get over it with some more time. Don't worry about me, okay?"

The boy really didn't think others should worry about him. He was a hero, right? He had to be strong and willing and fight the fights and stand tall. For the most part he didn't mind. He like saving eggs, he liked being useful to his friends. Making a difference in the smallest of ways. Hero speeches, the sword fighting, the bow and arrow training, all of it he really did enjoy. A little sadness wasnt going to be the end of him.

Still it hurt. Watching friends fall from grace. Having to deal with consequences. Also there was the looming idea about egg crushing, and egg hunting. Not about the actual egg hunters, but rather if anyone lost their egg and started to head down the wrong path. The wouldn't stand a chance.

If he lost his own egg- Which he prays to god will never happen so long as he can help it. If he started to break eggs then- All the loyalties he earn from others- Would be lost. God. How quickly would they all turn on each other when mistakes happen? The boy didn't like egg breaking either but- To beat people down until their black and blue didn't set right with him either.

Hell even now with Takeo and Miuna the way they are... Whose to say the won't get beaten up too? In the name of 'saving' them? Daichi didn't want to fight either of them. He had spared with them before but- This was so much different. He didn't want to hurt them. He didn't want to scar them. He couldn't ever. But others might. Others would see them as a threat. Something to be 'take care' of and not saved. That was the reality of it.

As optimistic as he seemed, under it all he was painfully realistic. He did like thinking on the positive side of things, yeah. In moments like this he couldn't hold up that same attitude.

After a long silence Daichi looked up at the sky through the branches of the tree. " Yasuko, I appreciate you trying, I do. I just have sometime to be sad, so later i don't have to be.... If that makes sense." It was true, later he would have to put on a brave face for others. Be happy, laugh and be 'Daichi', give them speeches and pick up others when they fall.

Right now, he just wanted to be something real.

[Yasuko Kobayashi]

"O-Oh um..." Yasuko simply stared at him, blinking as he spoke. She averted her gaze down to the ground, biting her lip a little. Was it really all okay? Just to leave it be like that? She didn't really know; should she press again? Or try to lighten up the mood somehow? Honestly she was terrible at this whole thing. Leaning against the tree trunk again, she rubbed her thumb over the strings again. She looked back up at the call of her name, listening to what he had to say as her eyebrows furrowed a little. "I-I think so," she said, frowning a little as she mulled over his words. Let yourself to be sad now...ride through the feelings...so that you can be okay later? She switched her gaze back to the ground again.

What should she do now though?

"Yasukoooooooooo!"

The first-year stiffened. Oh great. Here comes the annoyance.

"There you are!" Her brother cried, appearing off at the side of the tree. Really, in a sense, if this was just a colour comparison, he looked similar to his sister, with the same dark brown hair and grey eyes. Only that he was far taller than her, though still about the same height as Daichi, and his hair was long and messy, brushing his shoulders as he came running. "I've been looking all over for you!" he said, an expression of relief upon his face, before he pouted at her. "Why didn't you wait for me?!" Pieces of paper rustled as he said that, his arms completely peppered with colourful wish-making papers. He probably reached out to grab a stack and hadn't cared how much he had actually taken.

"W-well I--" Yasuko began, but her brother seemed to realise that someone else was beside her.

"Oh? And who's this?"

"Oh-! Um-" She glanced back at the boy beside her, before she turned towards her brother. "This is uh...Daichi. Fujiwara Daichi," she said, pointing over to the dark-haired boy. Come to think of it, did she know which year he was in? "He goes to the same school I do. Just kind of bumped into him here."

"Oh so you're a Seiyo student!" her brother said, blinking - before he suddenly squinted at him. He seemed to be scrutinising him from top to bottom. "...Are you her classmate or something?"

[Daichi]

Daichi looked up to the voice that called out to the girl. He looked to Yasuko as she stiffed at the sound. He could relate to that. Many times he had done the same thing when he saw his own brothers calling out to him from a distance. Though hes sure Yasuko doesn't have to deal with being picked up and swing about by her bother. As the male drew closer Daichi stood a little taller and seemed to have flipped a switch on and back to his happy positive self.

The boy bowed slightly and then smiled at the male. Yasuko had pretty much done his introduction for him which made things bit easier. " Yeah thats right. Um, Nice to meet you- just call me Daichi. Uh, no, not exactly. I'm a second year, so we don't have any classes together but Yasuko and I are friends." He spoke cheerfully as he could. Luckily he's had enough practice to really pull of the change in attitude.

Eyeing all the papers in others hands he asked. " You look like you're planning to make a lot of wishes tonight?"

[Yasuko Kobayashi]

Yasuko looked back at Daichi as the other spoke, her brows furrowing slightly. Was it just her or...did the aura around him change? He seemed sad and a little stressed before...but now he seemed...back to himself? Was it possible that she had been imagining it all? Or rather...was he putting on a face? The first-year looked away as the other talked, her hand still stroking the strings of the pouch absent-mindedly.

Her brother seemed to scan him again up and down at his answer, before flitting his gaze over at his sister. There was almost a second of silence as he stared at his sister - but he soon turned back towards the second-year, a wide smile on his face. "I see!" he said, nodding at the other's words in acknowledgement, before he pointed at himself. "I'm Kobayashi Yasuo! Just call me Yasuo," he continued and - after shifting the papers to one side of his arm - extended a hand in greeting.

Yasuo took a glance down at the papers in his hand - before brightly grinning at the other. "Yup!" he said, holding them up so as to let them flutter in the wind. "I was planning on writing wishes with my sister tonight! After all, it is Tanabata and the day is ripe for wishing whatever to your heart's content!" He gave a grin. But Yasuko only continued to stare at the ground, not really responding to her older brother's words. Yasuo seemed to flit from her to Daichi and back again before he perked up at the other boy. "Oh why don't we do this! Why don't we make wishes together? I have lots of papers, so we can make any wish we want!"

Yasuko looked back at him with surprise. "Huh? But-- I don't--" She seemed to glance at the second-year from the corner of her eyes, unsure if the other was okay with that kind of thing. Wasn't it kind of sudden? And besides, did the boy wanted to engage in such activities, especially after everything that had happened in school?

"Come on, it'll be fun! What do you say, Daichi?" He beamed back at the boy.

[Daichi]

It was really strange, the boy could flip back between his facades as needed. Well it wasnt much of a facade as it was him trying to be the cheerful person he was before shit hit the fan with all this friends. The boy knew he couldn't just mope around a new face. Even though the odds of seeing the male again were slim the fact still remained that- this was the others first impressions of him.

Straitening his stance he chuckled lightly, reaching out to take the others hand and shake it. " Nice to meet you, Yasuo." Daichi found it a little puzzling how close their names were. A for a moment wondered why on earth their parents did that. " Thats true enough." Daichi spoke looking to the tree to his side. " This tree has gotten a lot of action lately."

Daichi laughed but shook his head, then held up is own paper. " I think I only need one wish, but you can go ahead and wish all you want." Then a pause. " Yeah sure, why not." Now he had to make a wish, even though he had no idea what to even write down for a wish- Nor did he really like the idea but- If Yasuo wanted to do that he would comply, he seemed pretty like a pretty persistent person anyways.

[Yasuko Kobayashi]

Yasuo beamed back at Daichi, before he soon produced a two pens. He hadn't thought about there being another person, but he smiled at Daichi anyway. "I was only expecting to make a wish with my sister, but hey you can have a pen for now!" he said offering one of them to the second-year. He soon gave the other to Yasuko - and soon sat down on the grassy floor. He needed to free up his hands; and he dumped the rest of his wishing papers onto his lap, before picking one of the blank pieces up.

"So what are you guys going to wish for?" he asked, smiling. It seemed he wasn't going to write his own wish until the others did first. "Oh ooh, I'm sure you have a dream right, Daichi?" He grinned back at him. "Is that what your wish is about?"

But all Yasuko did was stare at her own piece of paper, the blank pen in her hand still capped. She still had no idea what to wish for...and though she would have to make one soon (considering Yasuo would whine at her till she did), it felt odd to write a wish. None of the wishes that came to her mind felt...'real' enough. All of them felt far too superficial, like she just didn't have the heart to even make a wish like that.

"Aren't wishes a little silly?" Yasuko began, frowning at the piece of coloured paper in her hand. "It's not like it's a guarantee that it's going to be granted."