heartdive-blog

[heartdive-blog]

The moon hung in the sky like a sliver of white chocolate, creamy and lustrous against the black night. Tifa was typically in bed by this hour, but she couldn't sleep, so she chose to take a long walk instead. She decided she preferred midnight strolls instead of lying in bed all night and staring at her ceiling, counting the cracks and letting the shadows mess with her brain. Before leaving, she quickly threw her hair up into a ponytail, and slipped out of her pajamas to don a pair of comfortable black shorts and simple white t-shirt.

Then Tifa was on her way out into the windless evening.

Once or twice, she passed some fellow midnight travelers, but for most of the walk, she went unnoticed. Tifa seemed to have a set destination in mind without even realizing it, choosing an intricate route of main roads and narrow side streets. Her pace slowed down when she reached the gate entrance of the nearby park. Walking through the twin, brick pillars, she proceeded down a long concrete walk path. The night was completely calm and silent. Crickets chirped their wings against the cool night, little fireflies illuminating the darkness with their dim glow. The trees whispered sad stories unto the sleeping creatures of the forest, as a gentle breeze blew through its branches. It seemed as if the leaves and grass were swaying to a tune only ushered by the wind, dancing to the nights' song.

"I feel a bit silly now," Tifa murmured as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms. "Dragging myself out of bed like this just to clear my head. Why couldn't I have waited for a more sensible time?"

Sometimes, Tifa would wonder about her life and the path it was traveling. Was it the right call, moving from her home town to a completely new one just to pursue this job? She was not even certain anymore. She'd left the safety of a whole other, familial world to go after an entirely new one, because Tifa thought could do some good here. The pay was more than decent, a huge improvement from anything she would have been dished out if she stayed at home; the students were as colorful and interesting as they were troubled; Tifa had yet to make any real friends though amongst the other staff members or outside of school alike. On top of all of that,  she still was doing a fair amount of coping and struggling to adjust.

She felt home sick. Tifa Lockhart was home sick. If it sounded pathetic, if not more so, that's because it was. For goodness' sake, she was twenty-two years old! Tifa was a young woman, a fully grown adult, not some teenaged kid who newly transferred from another distant high school!

"Grow up," she lightly scolded herself.

That was when she heard a rustle in the large bushes next to the sidewalk. Tifa came to a halt, and watched. Appearing with twigs and leaves attached to his clothes, a man stumbled out of the brush facing her. In the dim lighting of the lamps, his flushing face accompanied the briefest smell of alcohol - an unfortunately familiar stench, although not one she'd smelled for some time. Dirt and grass stains littered his messy clothes while an empty whiskey bottle was held in one hand. Compared to the average male size, his build was larger and more muscular, but not by much. However, all of those details paled in comparison to the knife held in his hand.

"You look plenty grown to me," he slurred, eyes roving up and down her body lasciviously. Tifa knitted her brows, hands tensing up into fists in case there was going to be a scene; she was wary enough about the large knife he was brandishing as it was. The man grimaced, lifted up the bottle ever so slowly he was carrying with him, and tossed back the remainder of his drink. There was a brief pause, and then he lowered it back down forlornly. Tifa guessed he'd only just realized that he'd long since finished it. Grimacing again, there was a long, tense silence as he continued to glare down at the empty bottle with reddened eyes.

Tifa saw this as her chance to quietly sneak away.

In a sudden display of despairing rage, the man hurled the empty, glass bottle across the path, watching it shatter with a satisfying crash against the stone concrete. Chips of sparkling amber struck the ground with musical tinks, glinting in the light cast from the moon and the flickering fireflies.

Thankfully, she was not taken off by surprise. After jumping back a safe enough distance from the broken glass littering the path, she jerked her head up to peer at the man with new eyes. So this is how it's going to be, she thought grimly. Tifa disliked resorting to violence, but in situations like this it was unavoidable. Her hands rose from her sides to hover in the air in front of her in balled up fists, arms braced in front of Tifa's form protectively just in time. For the drunken man was starting to walk towards her, footing clumsy, but still; she counted, one, two, three - then he was running towards her in a headlong rush, yelling out a string of profanities. Inwardly, all Tifa could do was curse at herself for not bothering to bring her gloves with her.

She was a little rusty, give or take, but it did not mean she was a defenseless little girl who couldn't take care of herself either.

Late Night Encounter

The day had passed quickly for Himura Kenshin.  Working at Astraea was both relaxing compared to his previous job, but stressful due to dealing with so many people.  In earlier employment, Kenshin simply had to care for himself and what his job dealt with.  Now, being a teacher, reliability and dependency were placed heavily on his shoulders.  Of course, teaching history was interesting in itself considering his views would at times conflict with some of the students.  More than likely, the teenagers had been taught by someone who had lived their entire life in Japan or was biased.  Regardless, class debates were normal and he had even heard rumors of a “scary history teacher” floating around while walking the hallways.

Ironically, that fearsome sensei was now walking towards a park with two bags of groceries.  While the greenery area was not his home, it allowed a shortcut which would take him to his apartment.  Tonight was a different night than normal as a security guard stood directly outside the gate.  Upon getting closer, the man warned him that a number of attacks had been happening within the enclosure and that another way would be safer.  Thanking him for the news, Kenshin merely bowed and went on.  If he was indeed attacked, the eggs in one of his bags might break, but he could easily fend for himself. The park, whether by night or day, was beautiful.  Lightning bugs created tiny sparks all around while other bugs grew more attracted to the tall lamps alongside the walk path.  While the area seemed safe enough, numerous hiding spots could be found in between the light.  Granted the bright beams illuminated most of the concrete path, a person’s eyes would likely be unable to adjust quickly enough if someone stepped out into a dark spot.  Unfortunately for the history teacher, one of those glowing bulbs decided it was time to flicker from lack of energy. Changing between bright and dark within seconds, the pulsating lamp may have freaked some people out due to old ghost tales, but for Kenshin, the rapid alterations were merely an annoyance.  Vision became blurry and distorted as irises expanded and contracted.  What night vision he had gained in the dimly lit park was completely destroyed within that instant.  However, while one of the five senses had been diminished, the other four stayed perfectly aware.  In that awareness, a scuffle up a few ways on the path was heard.

Trotting with his bags in hand, Kenshin moved swiftly for a man of his occupation.  Of course, with the lack of vision, care had to be taken.  The teacher knew how to fight, but running in blindly would only lead to unneeded harm.  With that thought, the abnormal history teacher slowed his pace as he reached the fight.  Blinking constantly in hopes of getting better vision, Kenshin listened to any sound which may help him identify what was happening.

#I love how unintentionally romantic this whole setting is #hewhosaysoro #xD

[heartdive-blog]

I just wanted to apologize

For being on an unprecedented hiatus for so long. My inspiration was shot for a couple of reasons. But now I've got it back, and I'm ready to get some proper RP'ing done. Oh and if anyone would like to RP with me, let me know! There are so many delinquents colorful kids and whatnot in this school I'd be surprised if none needed some guidance from Ms. Lockhart to be honest, haha. <3

P.S. Zero do you still want me to reply to our thread? I'd be fine doing so, but if you don't want me to due to lack of inspiration then I understand!

#ooc #astraeahighrp #AHR

[heartdive-blog]

behind the glass

Inside her office, Tifa was sheltered from the storm.

Slowly her fingers danced over the piano. She bowed her head, and allowed her burgundy eyes to drift shut as she let the music wash over her. The only light in the room was the watered down shafts pouring in through the window, and beyond the chilled glass, the rain continued to fall. Aqua bullets kissed the windowpane and slipped down to fall and disappear - before everything happened all over again. It was a tiring cycle the raven-haired woman could relate to, although at least playing helped her feel better.

There were no appointments made for the day. So it was dragging by rather slowly. In hindsight, Tifa should have been happy. It meant that none of the students were being troubled or at least felt troubled enough to the point they were needing her help. But on the other hand, it just left her with nothing to do. The only company she had the pleasure of sharing were her own pressing thoughts and the steady cadence of the rain.

Having nothing to do was not only boring, but dangerous for someone like Tifa. The places her thoughts wandered were nothing short of dark and depressing. Even now and then, a wrinkle would form between her brows. When was the last time she talked to him? When was the last time he bothered picking up the phone to call her? It'd been awhile since either of them had even exchanged casual pleasantries. Maybe, he was too busy moping and fawning over -

Sitting back in her chair, idly shifting through a neat stack of papers on her desk, that was when Tifa's eyes moved to settle upon the grand piano in her office. It sat in the slightly darkened room, looking forlorn and unwanted. Standing up, she stood from her seat and stretched; slowly, she walked over to it, a smile curving her lips.

"Well, why not?" she asked herself.

Music had always served as a refuse from her troubles, and playing when there was nothing else to do seemed the right call. And so after that she sat herself astride the piano bench, refocusing her eyes on the ivory keys, before allowing her fingertips to brush them.

Thereafter, there rose a soft, tender note. It did not take too long to get wrapped up in the music, letting her fingers flutter as a simple, yet beautiful melody rung through the air. While beautiful in its composition, there was a hint of sadness lacing every other note. It felt like a huge relief, to release the anxiety and building melancholy that'd been troubling Tifa as of late through song. So caught up was she, that Tifa coincidentally had forgotten about the fact that the door to her office was slightly creaked open - allowing the string of notes to drift out into the hallway, and be heard by anyone who simply stopped and listened.

#kiryuzero #symbolic-titles-ftw #yeah-i'm-lame-whatev

[heartdive-blog]

There was a certain room in Astraea Academy’s campus with a design entirely different from the rest. It had black walls, a black desk, black chairs and recliners, potted plants scattered across a black-and-white checkered floor, and large, bay windows to let in yellow streams of light. The look was classic and simple, ideal for someone like Miss Tifa Lockhart. Admittedly, her favorite piece was the pure, white piano that that she was currently situated in front of. Sitting astride the bench and looking down at the keys, the dark-haired woman allowed her eyes to flutter closed.

And as the sunshine cascaded downwards, kissing her with its radiant warmth, a smile curved her rosy lips.

What else could Tifa do but smile here in this room - her room, her private space, her sanctuary - when everything was serene and peaceful? When her life was finally beginning to make sense, and she was on the road to recovering from an unfulfilled love?

Today would be the beginning of a new chapter in Tifa’s life. She was going to be assume her position as the guidance counselor, a confidant to the students and faculty alike at Astraea Academy. It would be an especially rewarding job for someone like her, who relished in taking care of others and healing broken hearts. She only hoped she could do some real good here, unlike back in her hometown …

It always came back to him, didn’t it? It’d been some time since they had last spoken, but that had been of her own doing. 

“I wonder what he would have thought, of my getting a job here?” she asked herself softly, the smile on her face being replaced by a self-conscious frown. She even crossed her arms across her chest, feeling strange and vulnerable in her current attire.

Usually, Tifa preferred to dress casually and wear a simple, plain shirt and dark trousers. But for her newly acquired position, she had been forced to dress up - or down, if you asked her opinion. Sporting a white, button-up blouse, black, knee-length pencil skirt, and matching heels, it was safe to say she felt out of place. With time, perhaps she would become more comfortable; although a part of her sincerely doubted that.

She straightened her posture, slightly shaken by the dark road her mind had traveled; with a light sigh, Tifa shook her head in disappointment before she let the smile spread on her face again.

“That’s enough, Tifa. Cheer up! No more dilly dallying,” were the chiding words she told herself, infused with a her typical upbeat tone.

Nodding to herself, Tifa allowed claret eyes to refocus on the piano keys, before glancing at the sheet music neatly arranged on the stand. Her fingers were just about to start tapping away, when the sound of a timid, quiet voice caught her attention, making her blink before lifting her head up to take in the student who'd just walked in.

Eyes widening, Tifa quickly rose to her feet, cursing at herself for getting carried away with her own self-pity when there were clearly people who needed her, like this boy. Speaking of which, he was just standing in the doorway awkwardly, more than likely feeling uncomfortable with his coming here. Her expression softened at that. Tifa understood, especially if he was forced to come due to another teacher's input; but she didn't want him to feel that way at all. It was was what she was paid for, to make her visitors feel comfortable, and she resolved to accomplish just that.

"Yes, I'm Tifa Lockhart. But you can call me Miss Lockhart," the elder woman stated with a warm smile. "And you are...?"

[closed/@Tifa]

Ah, another day in this school.

Enma was now used to the school, a number of the students, and most of all - his roommate. That was the main thing he was worried about. If he didn’t at least somewhat get along with his roommate, how was he supposed to act in the one place in this school that was supposed to be like a home to him?

Anyway, school was over. It was time for the boss to get a feel for the city he had just entered a few days before. Where to go first, was the question. Of course he could always just go in a random direction, but that’d end in him getting lost and not knowing his way back to the school before curfew. It wasn’t that he actually followed the rules - he just wanted to spare himself the lecture that came with it.

And there he was. Outside the school, staring off into the distance. Which way was he going to go. Well, the group of boys behind him thought it would be better for him to hit the ground. From them pushing him there. It was time for another beating.

Great.

Enma hated this place. No matter what he did, it ended the same.

There went his plans of touring the city. Instead, he had to go to the nurse. When he opened the door to her office, she looked like she’d been waiting for him. This was the place he was almost always at. He wouldn’t be surprised if the nurse was already getting annoyed at him being there.

After he’d sat down, the nurse was already touching up his wounds. She was always on top of that sort of thing. “Enma,” she spoke up, “You always look so depressed. Even when you’re not hurt like this. I think you should go see the new counselor.” The tone in her voice was more of a ‘you-better-go-see-this-new-counselor-or-I’ll-tear-your-head-off’ tone. So, he didn’t have much of a choice.

Once she had finished patching him up, the boy was out. Off to the counselor’s office. That didn’t take too long, though. It was just down the hall. Perfect.

He got up to the door and was already extremely hesitant. What was he supposed to do if she wasn’t nice? If she didn’t care? It wasn’t like he’d blame her, it was just he didn’t have anyone else to talk to. And she was his last resort. Letting out a quiet sigh, the boy put his hand on the knob, turned it, and went inside.

“Excuse me,” he began quietly, “.. Is this the counselor’s office…?”

#loser-boss #oh-the-irony #enma-you're-not-the-boss-here #/shot