i believe every day's a good day when you paint

[acherontiastyx]

[...so, shortly after breakfast, there's a note posted to the refrigerator door (and well, shoved under Elda's door, all things considered) in handwriting that's come to be really easily recognizable in its jankiness.]

YO. WE HAVE PAINTS. WE HAVE SPRAY PAINT. WE ARE ALLOWED TO DO WHATEVER WE WANT TO THE WALLS AS LONG AS WE DON'T BREAK THEM.

LET'S MAKE THE ACADEMY'S WALLS OUR CANVAS.

BE IN THE ART STUDIO AT 6:00.

[At the appointed time, when those interested walk into the art studio, they'll see that holy shit, Guzma got a lot of paints out of the storage room and put them all over the tables. There's a lot of stuff there, ready for everyone to grab and spread out all over the academy and paint all over everything.]

Comments

[matchbreaker]

Perhaps. But at the same time, you named the creature, Hanyuu. [ She hakes her head, tapping her claw against the wall, mostly at the middle one. ] So what name it has falls on you, right?

[ So little answers... ]

I received a response to one of my letters, but I don't yet know which one. I'm seeking more answers.

[oyashiromama]

That, I suppose, is so.

[It looks like she's going to write something else, but what Elda says gives her pause.]

Really? Something you did got a letter across? Oh... Oh, I'm so glad to hear that...! With a little more experimenting, we can talk to them.

[matchbreaker]

Exactly! And would you believe that Ushiromiya was the one who found it? Either way, it shouldn't be more than a few more days now!

[ . . . She's hoping this. Um. Well, that this makes her happy?

Waving a hand theatrically ]

[oyashiromama]

[Spraycan still grasped tight, Hanyuu clasps her hands in front of her chest, like a prayer.]

Oh.... Ohhh, please, oh please... To be able to speak with them again, in whatever way...it would be such a relief.

[matchbreaker]

It's going to happen, it's just a matter of time.

[ Probably. At the very least, she got some results, and that's given her a certain degree of confidence. ]

For now though, want to make a dual project?

[ She asked, taking out her own purple spray can ]

[oyashiromama]

[Hanyuu's going to take this time to spray another kanji, below the others.]

影死郎
影史郎
四
志

What sort of project do you have in mind?

[matchbreaker]

[ Elda's eyes narrow a that Kanji. ... Does she not recognize that one, or...? She must be missing something, but she shakes her head, intending to just move past it. ]

Well, maybe we could do something with bats? Or if there's some notable local animal for Hinamizawa... Perhaps down on the second floor?

[ So they can head to the stairwell.

And unknowingly get caught up in that Watanuki thing. ]

[oyashiromama]

Aah... Well, Hinamizawa is quite full of higurashi, a species of evening cicada. I'm fond of the noise they make.

[AW YEAH LET'S TRANSITION INTO ANOTHER THREAD- though, Hanyuu catches Elda's eye and explains-]

"Intention" or "motives" ...or "hope." Kanji that can mean multiple things...are the most interesting, for me.

[...She's not quite done, though. She starts writing another.]

影死郎
影史郎
四
志
影白

[matchbreaker]

[ Cicadas at night? That... sounds nice, actually, she smiles a little ]

They'd be prey for my bats.

[ But she says it somewhat sentimentally??

She shakes her head. She sees the new Kanji, frowning at it also, but well, she'll think on it later. ]

You will need to explain how shat kanji works for that shadow. [ But she motions for Hanyuu to follow her. Let's walk and talk except not much more than if it's a quick explanation because thread transition ]

[oyashiromama]

[Away they go then, with this finished. Hanyuu stands and nods.]

Of course. ...The first one, I think of because of our host's Tuesday tradition. [Motives.] I think of that, and also...whatever the creature could be, what other natures it could have.

For the second... In the letter Alani wrote me, that's...how it showed up. I'm sure it was a translation error. Where she wrote it as Kageshiro instead of Kageshirou. [The difference probably not noticeable to one unfamiliar with Japanese.] ...But it was...interesting. Those two kanji next to each other.

"Shadow." "White."

Contradictory.

[matchbreaker]

Honestly, [ And she feels bad to admit this, but, ] I had almost thought you said Kageshiro whenI first heard you suggestion. I had to shake my ears to realize the difference.

[ Which is lame, given how long she's spoken and heard Japanese, but there you are. ]

[oyashiromama]

It's alright, for a non-native speaker it must be difficult. Had I grown up only learning the Ryuun's language, it would likely be difficult for me as well.

[matchbreaker]

Oh, you didn't?

[ She's... genuinely surprised at that. ]

... I'm trilingual, myself. What about you?

[ but tbh for our own sanity we should end the thread with them going to Watanuki after this ]

[oyashiromama]

[YEAH I'M JUST GONNA BOOMERANG THIS TIL IT'S DONE THEN WORK ON THE OTHERS]

Just bilingual. ...It's been so long, though, I don't know if I could fluently speak the Ryuun language, or...well, there's no real need to, you know?

[matchbreaker]

I wouldn't mind hearing it.

[ . . . ] Vampires never had our own languages - or if we did, it's long lost. I grew up speaking French and English, and then learned Japanese when we moved.

[oyashiromama]

I could, aah, tell you some, sometime. [...AND WE CAN HANDWAVE THAT BECAUSE I KNOW LIKE TWO THINGS ABOUT HANYUU'S LANGUAGE AND THAT'S ALL WE GOT]

You know...because I grew up speaking both, I think of Japanese as just as much my language as that of the Ryuun. So whatever you grew up speaking, that's still yours. That's what I think, at least.

[matchbreaker]

I... agree, actually.

[ She laughs. ] I never considered English or French or even Japanese to be the humans'. It's just a way to communicate, and the former two make me think of the old country the later makes me think of those early days with James, working out the language as the foreigners we were.

[ . . . Are those people are the bottom of the stairs? There's three bodies down there. ]

[oyashiromama]

Exactly how I look at it, really, it's...

[...Uh. Hanyuu sees too, is that...Silver's distinct hair, and Watanuki, and Orihime's rushing up, and...

...Hanyuu narrows her eyes and spies what's written on the walls.]

Excuse me, Elda, I'm sorry, I have to-

[She holds her blue spray can tight and hurries down the stairs.]

[matchbreaker]

[ ... Man, she walked into a mess, didn't she?

... Elda sighs, looking at the wall there and that mess going on. She shakes her head and actually goes back up the stairs. She's going to get something out of the supply closet and run back downstairs.

A fateful Sharpie. ]