[AQ] Fallen Stars (Ai/ADMIN)

[Juon]

A bit early; yes, that was an idea he could agree on the student with. It was good, he figured, that Ai wasn't jumping into this headfirst now that he had any new information--minimal as it might've been, in the long run, granted--which was something he could, in a way, respect; perhaps that was even why it seemed okay to tell him these things, despite the fact that he hadn't had much initiative to hold anything back to start with, now that Ai was aware of his true status, anyway.

As Ai informed that he didn't have any more questions, Kirishigi seemed to relax, even if only in that his posture settled to something a little gentler, rather than the rigid formality he'd been keeping it at previously. He didn't exactly keep either on purpose, but it was more like an instinctual reaction; though he perked up again the moment that Ai had removed the small wooden egg from his pack, and offered as to if he wanted to paint one, too.

Kirishigi's smile widened a little. Taking the egg in his hands and shooting a fond-like glance toward the one Ai had done, he gave a little nod as he examined more thoroughly the egg between his fingers, holding it up and turning it about to get the best feel for its shape and imperfections.

"I suppose I could say one thing," he started. "Since you already know a secret of mine, it can't hurt to tell you another." Letting the egg fall, he looked to Ai again, pressing one finger to his lips in a shh like gesture. "I've tried plenty of times. Most of the painted eggs around campus... I'm the one who's made most of those." He leaned over to grab a brush, then, and start painting. "The others are student additions, like yours will be. It's nice when they're added, too."

[Ai]

Ai too was relieved that the conversation was over, in his own way. Most of all, though, he was glad it had gone rather smoothly. The last thing he wanted was to trouble sensei, because he already had enough on his plate to begin with. Glancing at the man after everything was said and done, he seemed to have taken a more relaxed position. That had to mean something good, right? Ai just went with that thought, since it was something more comfortable for him to believe.

The second year was about to add some finishing touches to his egg when Kirishigi sensei spoke up again. Ai listened as he was being told about the painted eggs around the campus, finding the reveal both sad and unsurprising. Sensei was someone who lost his heart's egg, his dream... so he tried to reproduce heart's eggs. Perhaps to give comfort to students or himself. " Well I have to admit, the campus does look much friendlier with them around." Ai nodded with a smile. The eggs were everywhere, though, they were so many. Ai couldn't help but silently wonder since when he's been doing this.

Luciel, who had been listening to their conversation, felt relieved that the topic had switched to something he could finally participate in. " So you like eggs, sensei?" He smiled, showing off his own painted egg to the older man. " Do you like it? I made it!" Nagamasa too, could be heard mumbling on an annoyed tone, somewhere close by. "Too flashy."

[Juon]

"That is a nice upside," Kirishigi's response came rather simply. The purpose of painting eggs was a long forgotten one; or at least, the real purpose, anyway; he'd been doing it for such a length of time now that it was almost a habitual act that he barely even thought about as he made them. Or maybe it was even just an art; it was true, too, that after so many years of doing them, he'd begun to develop a precise hand that was quite good with a brush, especially on small surfaces like the eggs often were. But that was only as far as it ever went; the habitual, as there wasn't much desire anywhere to try and expand on the hobby.

Looking up as the Guardian Character addressed him, the astronomer gave a firm nod of confirmation as he was shown the small sprite's own egg that had been painted. "Very nice," he remarked, though likely only out of formality.

As the other of Ai's Guardian Characters had spoken up after, Kirishigi leaned a bit to try and catch a glance; it seemed like that was the one he'd seen before, at the planetarium when Fontaine was present. "Did you paint one, too?" he prompted.

[Ai]

Ai could but assume his reasons. He'd already asked the man plenty of uncomfortable questions (Though that wasn't just him being nosy, he needed the answers). But this was perhaps something much too personal to go into. Kirishigi sensei still seemed to be someone who greatly valued his personal space, so Ai was going to leave it at that.Besides, sensei wasn't one of his friends at school: he was an adult. Ai had to know his place.

Whether it was out of formality or not, Luciel was happy enough with the compliment (on the outside, at least) and flashed the man a bright smile that would make even the sun jealous. "Thank you!!" He had a feeling that there was something strange about the man ever since earlier but even though he was curious, Luciel wouldn't ask, perhaps not even Ai. His owner was thoughtful, but Luciel was probably even more so, to an extremity, even. Most of the time, it was just for show, however.

Nagamasa was a bit taken by surprise when Kirishigi sensei directly addressed him. Alas, it always came unexpectedly when people spoke to him, and admittedly not always welcome. Unlike Luciel or even Ai, Nagamasa was not much of a talker and valued those alike him. But on the plus side, he was honest (bold even) and loyal. "I did." He responded simply, though making no attempt to show off his egg. It was visible on the grass though, since he'd finished working on it a while ago. The egg had a white coat of painting and a very neat representation of the kanji "Strength".

"It looks really good, Nagamasa! nice job!" Ai praised his little samurai guardian. Now while Nagamasa was vastly different from Luciel, they had one thing in common: They both liked being praised. So as soon as Ai complimented him, a small hint of a smug smirk could be seen on his face. "I asked you a lot today..." Ai started again, a bit hesitantly. " I suppose if you would like to ask me anything yourself, I could return the favor." Though for a fact, Ai might not be able to offer him any valuable information, simply because he had no access to it.

[Juon]

_{((SORRY THIS IS SO SUPREMELY LATE I'll be back into regular swing now! o/))}

Strength; the character was painted cleanly across the bright white egg, crisp and clear as day. There was the smallest shift in Kirishigi's expression, but it was quickly pushed away by a soft smile to replace it. "Very well done," he remarked, his eyes lingering over the individual strokes for maybe just a bit too long.

His unexpected focus broke when Ai's own compliment came, and Kirishigi finally looked up again, seeming to be taking a hesitation to tune back into his surroundings, as well as back into the conversation itself. There was a kind of fondness that appeared, though, when Ai asked him if Kirishigi had any questions about him, too; the astronomer had taken a gentle motion to place a finger to his lips in thought, almost seeming amused by the idea.

"In that case, Okazaki-san," he started thoughtfully, settling back to a more comfortable position, his gaze returning once again properly to the sky above them. "Tell me about the thing you like most." The statement was a simple one, but he seemed firm on it. "Whatever it is; the something that you like the most."

[Ai]

((no worries Pai!! Take care of yourself ;v;))

Nagamasa noticed that the older man's empty eyes lingered a bit too much on his egg. He truly was an odd one. "Thank you." With a simple answer followed by a small bow in other's direction, Nagamasa went back to what he was doing before he got disturbed. Luciel, on the other hand, let out a barely audible huff of annoyance, seeing that his darker counterpart got more attention than he did. However, he couldn't possibly let the others notice that he was less than holy, so the little angel pretended to be adding some final touch-ups to his egg.

As he waited for Kirishigi's answer, Ai looked up at the sky that was now a pale shade of orange. Time had gone by unexpectedly fast, but Ai didn't mind spending time with the older man. Despite him seeming a bit quiet and private at first, Ai found that Kirishigi-sensei was a kind and very admirable man. Perhaps their discussion might not have done much to help him, but Ai hoped that he'll be able to do something for him eventually, even if it was just getting rid of the hunters who were bothering him.

Ai wasn't sure what kind of question to expect from the man, or if he should expect one at all, but what he did ask came as a surprise to the silver-haired. It wasn't only unexpected, but difficult to answer as well. Ai pressed his right hand against his cheek, letting out a contemplative 'hmmm'. There were many things that he liked: his family, his friends, music, even this school, with as much pain as it brought to him and others.

"It's hard to label one as more important than the other but... I guess I'll go with music here." In the end, Ai decided to go with the more straight-forward answer instead of the rather abstract ones. "I've been doing music since forever." Ai smiled a little to himself. "It's helped me express my feelings, I found that I could reach out to others through it. I've made it my purpose. I hope I'll be able to help others through my songs in the future, so I'm working hard to become a musician now..."

[Juon]

"Music?" he echoed, somewhat of an almost fond note threatening to enter his voice. "... That's a nice choice."

He listened quietly as Ai had described what it meant to him; how it helped him. They were words that sounded familiar, and very distantly so; he didn't get to chat much with other students--especially outside of the Guardians, who tended to have ambitions quite different from this, so it was probably longer than he might've expected since he'd last heard something akin to them; or maybe he just hadn't had the heart to remember. Nevertheless, he didn't allow them to stir too heavily; he chose to let it resonate far back enough to be... pleasant.

"Tell me then," he the continued prompting, "What kind of music do you play? The type you like most. Or, the instrument. Or, ah, are you more... vocals." He knew very little about music, admittedly; even when he was young, he was never much of a listener outside of things that friends liked, but he had an appreciation for it that could still allow him to chat with enough of a thought. Thinking back on it, he knew more on the technical side of it than anything; but that was fine.

[Ai]

Ai was a bit surprised to find that Kirishigi-sensei not only responded positively to his words, but that he also enquired more about his hobbies. If he didn't know any better, the silver-haired might have assumed that the man had had something to do with music in his past... or had he? "Oh, I usually play rock and alternative metal." The boy was 99% convinced that even if his heart weren't empty, the man couldn't possibly relate to his hobbies. Even so, he felt happy to be sharing his passions with someone.

"I sing and play the guitar too- you know, instruments can have a voice of their own." His guitar case was placed closely by, on the grass. Ai pointed to it as he spoke. What music meant for him was both easy and difficult to explain, but in general, he felt that it was the thing that connected him the most to the outside world. With words alone, it wasn't as easy to get through to people. Songs are usually better at that. And as someone who isn't stingy with his emotions, Ai never had a hard time reaching others through his performances. On the more negative side of things, his heart almost always got broken in the process.

"Kirishigi-sensei, have you ever been to a concert?" After a moment of silence, in which Ai seemed caught up in a world of his own, the boy asked. "Every person who comes to a concert is unique. They have different lifestyles, social backgrounds, different friends, different jobs, personalities or things that make them happy. But they're all brought together in one place. And in that single place, they look like they belong together. They are one." He spoke fondly, as if he remembered the sensation of being on stage, of seeing those people. However, that wasn't the point he was trying to make.

"So what I mean, sensei, is... why can't we be like that? We're all egg bearers, we all have a common purpose, but why are we always divided and always afraid? And I mean, factions are great, but I feel that the only thing they do is separate us even more. We should fight together, but if we can't accept each other's differences, if we can't forgive and look at the bigger picture, we're never going to succeed in anything. We won't be able to protect ourselves against the egg hunters, who seem infinitely more organized."