Don't own characters. Just the plot and Soran. ENJOY!
Sasame gave a mental sigh as he glanced at the clock over the door frame. It was a quarter after nine and he had been stuck in the same chair for over an hour now. For some reason, a meeting had been called and everyone still there had to attend. So, for the past hour, Sasame had been sitting there, listening to his boss drabble on and on about something or other. He didn't know; it didn't concern him. So, Sasame had chosen to tune everything out and instead focus on the question Soran had asked him last night.
Why do people sing and dance?
She had said something about the soul responding more towards music than a lecture. So maybe song and dance had to do something with the spirits response to the message.
Yes. Everything began to make sense! He would have to verify his conclusion with her later.
He stole another glance at the clock. That is, he thought, if she was still there. Luckily, though, the meeting was beginning to wrap up, and Sasame guessed that he could be out of there around 9:45.
As everyone began their departing hand shakes and round of "good nights", Sasame quietly picked up his jacket and stealthily moved out the door. As he made his way out of the studio, he couldn't help but feel a slight craving for ice cream. He had been wanting it for a while now, but never really made the time to stop and buy some. Which… is the reason why he had asked Soran what her favorite flavor was. At that point, he had decided that if he was going to delight himself in a little treat, he was going to have someone else delight in it also. Not only did this give him another opportunity to get to know her better, but it also gave him a reason not to share with the other Knights. Okay, so maybe that was a little selfish, but a combination of sugar, late night, Goh, and Mannen, was NOT something her could put up with tonight. And it was always he who had to deal with that situation. The others constantly seemed to… disappear.
Sasame stopped at an ice cream parlor close to her bench and ordered two cones. He then made his way over to the bench. She was laid out in her usual position. Her foot was tapping slowly, keeping time with the music. "Pardon me for interrupting, but I have something here for you that continues to melt despite the weather."
Soran sat up; a surprised looked settled upon her feature as she stared at the treat being offered. "No, thank you."
Sasame's eyebrows shot up. "Is this not the right one? You said 'java chip', no?"
Soran smiled a little. "Yes, it is. I just can't accept. I kind of have this thing against people spending money." Sasame gave a small "oh" expression then walked towards the nearest trash can.
As much as Soran hated people spending money for her sake, she hated seeing wasted ice cream even more. "Wait!" Sasame stopped and looked at her. "What are you doing?"
"You said you didn't want it…"
"Yeah, but… you don't have to throw it away. Maybe some kid'll want it."
Sasame checked his watch. "10:30 on a Thursday night. I don't think any mom would allow their kid ice cream at this time. Let alone accept it from a stranger."
Soran gave a small sigh. "Good point." She stood, walked over to Sasame, and gently took the cone from him. "Well… since you went through all the trouble." she made her way back to the bench and regained her place, enjoying her gift the whole time.
Sasame took his spot beside her, indulging in his own delight. "What is that, anyway?"
"It's kind of a coffee flavor with chucks of chocolate." She ran her tongue across her lips, gathering anything that might have been left. "And yours?"
"It's Vanillate." He smile at her puzzlement. "Well, that's what Mannen calls it. It's really a swirl of Vanilla and chocolate with small chocolate chips."
"Sounds good." A small silence passed over them. "Who's Mannen?"
"Oh, he's… my… nephew." He watched Soran give a satisfied nod. "What about you? Do you have any family?"
"Nope. Well, not that I know of anyway." Now it was his turn to look puzzled. She gave Sasame kind of a sad look. "I'd rather not talk about it."
"That's fine." Another silence. "Oh. I was meaning to ask you… last night, what did you mean when you asked 'why do people sing and dance'?"
"Have you not figured it out?"
"I think it has something to do with the soul's response to the message… But I want to verify my conclusion."
"Well," Soran giggled, "your conclusion is correct."
"But, that's as far as I got."
"Liar."
"Am I that transparent?" She nodded.
"Okay. I just wanted to hear your theory and match it with my own."
"You could have asked."
Sasame inched a little closer. "Now that's no fun."
"Okay. Fine." Soran pulled her legs up and crossed them Indian style atop the bench and began her explanation. "You know how different messages portray different emotions?" Sasame nodded. "Well, it's kind of the same thing. A lot can be expressed through a lecture, but song and dance give a message a push, giving it the needed momentum to completely get across to the intended audience.
"It's like the difference between an orchestra, an opera, and a concert. At an orchestra, a mood, a message is sent to the audience specifically through music. The audience can feel the mood/message being relayed, but it's not as strong as it would be if the same message were being presented through an opera. In an opera, a message is displayed through voice and music. The music describes the mood of the message while the voice tells it verbally to the audience.
"Now, those are only two ways to move an audience, but the most effective way to reach people is definitely through means such as concert. In a concert, music is played, lyrics are sung, and bodies dance. As before, the music sets the tone, the voice actually sings the message, and the dance allows people to see that the message affects many others. It allows a single soul to know that it is not alone and that others have faced the same hardship.
"Thus, music, song, and dance is more effective than lectures alone! Does that fit your conclusion?"
"Yes." Sasame paused for a moment, absorbing this new theory. "You're very philosophical."
"I have to think about something while I'm out here."
Sasame couldn't help but smile at her witty remark. "So, now that I know what you do during the night, how about the day?"
Soran shook her head. "Nope. I already answered one of your questions, now you can answer one of mine. We can switch off."
"Okay."
Soran gave a curt nod. "So, what do you do for a living?"
Sasame smiled at the irony. "I'm a radio personality. I have my own talk show that, yes, tries to help others with their misfortune."
Soran's eyes widened and she quickly brought a hand up to hid her red checks. "I'm SO sorry. I didn't know…"
He chuckled at her embarrassment. "It's okay. I don't mind. Now, to answer my question."
She glared at him. Pale eyes reflecting the moonlight. "I work at a restaurant in the mornings. And in the afternoons I work at a book store."
"Shouldn't you be in school?"
"Hey! You stole my turn!"
Sasame ducked his head in shame. "Sorry."
"For your information, I graduated last year. What about you? Any college classes?"
"No. I've been out of school for a while now." He smiled. A LOT longer than she thinks.
"How old are you, anyway?" She quickly held up a hand as Sasame was about to protest. "Nope. You skipped my turn, remember? This is payback."
"Okay… 24." Time a few thousand, he thought. "You?"
"Just turned 19." Soran suddenly jumped up. "And it's about time for me to get going. Early morning, you know."
"Right. May I escort you home?"
"Nope. I'm fine." Soran gave a small wave. "Thanks, though." She turned and walked off. Sasame did the same, save in the opposite direction.
Once he reached home, he was surprised to find Goh, Kei, and Hayate waiting for him. It must be the kids night, he thought. Sasame nodded his head in greeting and started off towards his room. But… was unable make retreat successfully before one of Goh's comments. "Kinda late getting in, huh?"
Sasame noticed Goh give him a small wink. He blushed slightly. "I just met a friend. That's all. We were discussing… theories. Nothing to be concerned about."
"That same thing happened last night, also. Conversing with the same person, I presume?"
Sasame gave a small sigh. Kei never missed a beat, did he? "Her name is Soran. She knew about the Korelian language and I thought it best to find out what else she knows."
"Does she?" Hayate's voice cut across the room with annoyed curiosity.
"Nothing yet. She has a mysterious past but doesn't want to talk about it yet. I believe there might be something there that can answer any questions. Like how she knows of the Korelian language. I have a feeling that she knows more than she's telling. I believe that she KNOWS how to read it.
"She's hiding something, and I feel as though I need to figure it out." Sasame glanced at Hayate. Like you need to with Himeno. The silent message passed between the two.
Hayate stood. "Don't forget," he said as he walked towards his corridor of the "house". "Tomorrow's your night."
End 4
Yes, it was long, but I didn't feel like cutting it. I'm not too sure if I'm happy with this chapter, but it gives you a little background on Soran.
If anyone's confused, Sasame does NOT! Like Soran. I just remember this one episode where Himeno went to Sasame for advice and he was wrapping his arm around her and stuff. I think it's just a part of his character, so I threw it in.
BUT HE DOESN"T LIKE HER (?)
The next chapter should be a little more interesting. I'm switching to Soran's point of view so you can learn more about my character! HAVE FUN! And Thanks for READING!
(And as for the Vanillate thing, that's what my friend calls her favorite ice cream. Just thought it was interesting)