Raiden smiled at Shizu's words, he looked down from the moon, his green hue from his eyes fading back to blue as he did so. He turned to Shizu almost instantly to answer her question. "I guess I've always admired it, even in darkness it's the only thing that shines brightly. Sometimes it needs breaks when it's in its new moon phase leading to a rebirth… it's poetic and for it not being a person it means a lot to me. I don't know I get a strange sense of belonging from it… that no matter what's going on in the world we will always see the same stars and moon."
He thought to himself quietly about the idea of space and it's implied freedom. It was where the moon was after all.
"Space is something I'm into I guess, emptiness but filled with so much life that it almost doesn't make any sense. My father told us as children that the stars should be left alone because their purpose is to guide us but what does that mean for us? When will people break that barrier and finally explore it? I feel that way about our world itself too… that's why I want to explore so much. Me and Gharma are kind of like the moon and the sun in that way. Two sides of the same coin that work in tandem but are polar opposites." He gripped his pants out of nervousness, not being the one to delve into his self too much due to not really knowing how.
Yuki laughed and waved her hands infront of her face embarrassingly. "You're something else man! I don't know who taught you to look into people like that but you sure got a way with words. I'm just going to see what the future means and it means a lot to me that there's someone out there that cares. I mean, I know my other family care about me but it's because we grew up together so I guess it's a little different… but it means a lot to me that you see me that way." She smiled and giggled, she watched Matsumi jump into the lake and her eyes grew wide as she watched the crowd move to the lake. "What the…?"
Kasaru had snapped out of his disassociated state and followed the group out to the lake. He sighed and sat by the water-side, still enjoying his drink.
"If you insist."
Matsumi his head, his black and white hair being completely drenched. "Are you gonna sit there? Everybody else is jumping down!"
"Yeah, I'm gonna sit here. I still have my drink and I don't really like swimming."
Kasaru gave an amused expression at Matsumis current appearance, continuing to sip his drink.
"What are you talking about? The water is great! You can drink whatever you have while floating!"
"I assure you I'm fine where I am."
Kasaru smirked as he turned his attention away from him, looking around at the surroundings of the lake.
"Aw, come on! So many downers today! I have to work overtime!"
"Matsumi!" Vermelha continued to dry the sweat off her face. "Stop harassing people...I-I'll get in...."
"...Do you ever think about if you weren't born into royalty?...Who we would be if we weren't born as who we are?....Are you Raiden Otizawa because youre' the kings son?..Or are you yourself because this is the identity you chose...It feels like..You're hiding who you are from me. Your answers feel different. You Feel Different." Raiden could feel a sense of familiarity with the question, as if he had been asked this question before.
"Well I guess I just see things differently than everyone..At least..That's what my colleagues have told me.." Tengoku looked over to Matsumi.* "He's new to this kind of stuff...Don't pay him mind...I hope it's not a burden against your family if he swims a bit..I can tell him to stop."
"Oh! Vermelha! I checked the water like I promised! Come in, come in! Actually, everybody come in!"
Raidens eyes suddenly widened at Shizu's words, his head turned to face her immediately recoiling from the question itself, his expression changed from admiration to that of a terrified look. He couldn't tell whether this was a purposeful gesture or just an accidental question anymore. "W-what did y-you just say…?" The question lingered in his mind and the image of the man that had infiltrated his home had flashed as he looked into her eyes, his body froze up immediately and his mind raced trying to recover an answer, he could only think up something that seemed fitting from the deepest reaches of his mind as he calmed down. "I-I think I'm Raiden Otizawa because this is who I was born to be, not because I was fortunate enough to be born into this family but because of my actions… but I guess I still don't know who I really am deep down…"
Yuki really didn't mind, after all this wasn't her home of origin but simply her Uncle and Aunt's estate. She simply wanted others to have fun. She turned her head to Raiden's direction finally spotting him in the midst of talking with Shizu "You think he's alright? It looked like he just saw a ghost?" Yuki tapped her finger anxiously on the chair as she scanned the room, she then answered Tengoku. "I guess you are just different huh?"
Vermelha tied her shirt and pants up and slowly made her way to the water nervously, tiptoeing around the edge of the lake. Matsumi swam close to Vermelha at the edge, holding his arms out in invitation. "Careful though, it's a little cold."
"Sorry…Did I upset you?…I didn't mean to ask such a question…or to offend you.." Shizukana looked down, so embarrassed her face wasn't even red in the slightest. She felt a bit of guilt for asking such a nuanced thing. "You know…I met your uncle once….His name is Ashi Zenin…Oh…I mean you've definitely heard of him, who hasn't…but he told me something when I met him in a meeting…He told me nobody knows who you are..not even you. The reality is that you can't look to deep in to it…because the canvas is so blank you'll start painting things that weren't there before..maybe in a way you do know who you are because you can decide..but to me that's the subconscious…I…don't know who I am either…but..who does?…The important thing is you're living from the heart and you're honest to who you are, regardless of if it's your family or your own jurisdiction."
"Sometimes Shizukana can be a bit much with her questions..Another apology if she has offended him in anyway…" Tengoku looked at the two before turning back to her. "Aren't we all different? isn't that the point?…"
Vermelha slowly stepped into the water, the moon shining off the reflection that appeared from its presence. She rested in the water, which actually felt nice to her after a long day. "I-It's fine…It's actually quite nice."
"I knew you'd like it! Who doesn't?" Similarly to how they met, Matsumi started to orbit around her in the water.
"I preferred not to swim since it isn't that kind of party..but I digress. I'll play your game a little bit Matsumi." She couldn't help but smile, she slowly started to fiddle with her hair, tangling it and braiding it upwards so that it could stay out of her face.
"Is that a smile I see? You're smiling! A party is a party, and this water was all lonely, so we had too!" Matsumi laughed like always. "When it comes to fun, I'm your guy!"
"There's a time and place for fun..This? This is fun..When we're doing classes or the exams..That's more so the time for seriousness..It may be boring..but if you're serious in the right times then you can be twice as fun in the hard times..Make sense?"
"Yeah, yeah, for sure!" At this point even the mention of classes would be just muted in his ears.
"Oh God…" She facepalmed and sighed. "It's alright..we'll do what we have to in order for you to pass at least..the mana exams..though you're not much a fighter."
Raiden shook his head quickly and grabbed ahold of her hand, he brought it up to his head and bowed his head out of respect. "I-I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, I just… it's hard to understand…" He brought his head back up. "It's like Deja Vu… I think you're pretty alright for who you are, you're real, you think deep and you are kind of how I think… I guess in reality I'm just here, uncle Ashi is always wise with his words but at the end of the day who does that really pertain to? Us or himself? I think though, that we are like the moon, here orbiting and existing aimlessly."
Yuki laughed at the little interaction see saw from them and then turned back to Tengoku. "Yeah I guess so, it's just funny to see, all these people are here for a fun time and I guess that's what we all got huh?" Her eyes wandered to the stars and the twinkle hit her eyes with a sparkle.
"I don't know, as long as you like it then it's ok! Matsumi started to swim backwards, stretching his arms out. "I just don't care too much about it, fighting I mean."
Shizukana's face immediately flushed red as she started to breathe heavily when she took his hand. "I-I…thank you…thanks…I think that makes sense…I think you make sense…"
"Yeah..I'd prefer if my good time was with you but…regardless we're here to enjoy ourselves.." Tengoku still looked at her burns. "It bothers me that you have them..the burns I mean..though scars and all beauty never manages to escape you.." He looked at the twinkle in her eyes before standing up, brushing his small frame off.
"I don't like fighting…but it will always be necessary. You fight for what you love and that's what's really fun…protecting the things closest to you.."
"Do you have fun, when you fight?" Matsumi tilted his head with the question.
Raiden tilted his head in confusion at Shizu's breathing. "Wait am I hurting you? I'm sorry I don't mean to freak you out or anything! I make sense to you so I think that's good enough."
Yuki stood up herself, raising her hand infront of him. "If I'm all beauty then do you want to dance a little bit?" She smiled as she asked her question.
Vermelha pondered on Matsumi's question, leaning against a railing nearby.
"…Sometimes..and sometimes it's not fun..like everything in life…I think it can be if you're willing to learn…It's sort of like a dance."
"N-No…Just took me off guard…I didn't take you for someone who's apologetic..Perhaps I misjudged you." Shizukana hid her face, not showing herself to Raiden.
"Id love to…Why not?…Couldn't hurt anyone." Tengoku took her hand, ready to dance with her.
"Like a dance? But only the winner of a fight has fun. If only one person is having fun, then what's the point?" Matsumi still looked confused, still orbiting around her.
The door clicked open behind a few people, Aiden stepped through and held up some six packs of whatever beer he could steal or scrounge up; they were mostly for him.
"Sorry I'm late, you wouldn't believe the shit I had to go through for just 2 sixpacks."
He yelled out, smiling as he made his way to the fridge in the corner; nodding at a few people and saying passing 'Hey's' to others. The door swung open and light hit the wall next to it as he slung the alcohol in.
"Hope everyone was okay from the explosion." He muttered too himself, womdering if he should've stayed around but shrugged the thought away. With a slightly cold beer in his hand he twisted the top off and took a swig; his eyes skinning the crowd for anyone he recognized.