NOT A PRINCESS .

the plushie system —— a foolproof way to communicate her feelings when words failed to do them justice.      ( and definitely NOT an excuse for hamuko to collect loads of super cute stuffed animals. ) why emerge from her blanket cocoon of misery to tell someone she was having an awful day when she could simply prop up mister takoyaki the disgruntled octopus as her pastel-colored guardian? his delightfully adorable scowl said everything hamuko could have possibly wanted to —— and more.

laying there forever seemed like a wonderful idea. but then lucia’s voice reached her ears      ( having silently found her way into hamuko’s room, no less ) and bless her mechanical heart... she couldn’t just ignore her after that.

the blankets shifted, revealing a set of cherry red eyes and messy hair.

IT     was over: the adventure he had to gain his independence and freedom back. ren could only frown a bit. the memories didn’t heal him. “ let us just say … unlike others who visited the velvet room i was stuck with a false igor. hearing the difference between my and it could nearly make a men cry. ”

     Wasn’t she supposed to be studying? Humans were certainly easily distracted. Maybe she had done the rest of her studying in her room… The Dark Hour is certainly a good time for it, adding an extra hour to a day is something all workaholics would like. Too bad most of them died and became apathetic to everything were they to ever enter it. 

     “I suppose it’s how he coped with the trouble his sickness caused. Tuberculosis is certainly a powerful sickness that can cause the misery felt within the notes.” It was a hobby of hers to find the story behind each piece of music she played, to try and understand the human behind it. Understand the suffering and the joy behind the pieces. The one behind this one can certainly be seen as one of the sadder ones she knew. 

     However, the piece ended in higher notes, making the piece end much calmer than the rest of the song’s mood. “It is something that I doubt I could copy, yes. It seems the piece also ends in some sort of… hope. A recognition of beauty through the sadness and pain.” She played the final chord, and with it seemed to realize what she had said. That she had said anything in the first place. Words that had been said far too many times came back with a bitterness, as they always did.

     “…Apologies. You don’t care of a machine’s thoughts on something as metaphorical as music, do you?”

❝ i love hearing your thoughts on music. ❞ hamuko replied earnestly, leaning forward a bit as she did so —— as if to emphasize her point.      ( encourage further discussion. ) ❝ my only regret is not knowing you were interested in that kind of thing sooner... conversations like this make me really happy. ❞ sharing a mutual interest —— sharing something as wonderful as the beauty of song... it filled hamuko with a sense of unbridled joy. who knew she could feel so content, even during the gloom of the dark hour?

❝ i don’t think it matters who or what you are. ❞ the girl continued. ❝ music is for everyone. music is everywhere. like in the birds —— or the raindrops chopin listened to while he composed that piece. ❞ she gently placed a hand on her own chest, feeling her heartbeat thump beneath her fingers. like a metronome keeping tune to the rhythm of life itself. ❝ music is the one thing that ties us all together. it’s strong enough to transcend death; even now, we continue to cherish the works of people who died long before any of us were ever born. we share their struggles, their emotions... and i think that’s beautiful. ❞

                   “      at  your  service  .     “                    the  trickster  jokes  all  in  good  faith  ,  pushing  his  coat  away  so  that  he  may  advance  on  the  other  with  all  of  his  good  graces  .               “    i  see  ,  is  an  escort  in  order  ?  it  can  be  arranged  .     “

     As Haumko continued on, Lucia’s fingers continued playing the keys, until her last sentence and plea. The music came to an abrupt end, a note that was only meant to progress to the next, not end on. Her hands hovered over the next key, then pulled away so she could turn to the girl. Her expressions were always viewed as scarier than her counterpart, not fully emotionless but still lacking in what makes it entirely human. It was dull, but dull like a well used knife. 

     She was silent as she stared at her, as if trying to study her intent. Hamuko was certainly an odd one to Lucia, someone who was nothing like her teammates but had taken a role to lead them with her twin. Not only that, but she had been stubborn in getting to know her, much to her annoyance. Still, she can respect her need to study. “Sure. Talk as much as you want though, I just don’t promise I’ll respond.”

     Lucia turned back to her piano, and instead of continuing the piece, her fingers hovered over the keys for a new song. “Here, I’ll play a new one for you. Raindrop Prelude, by Chopin.” The keys once again began to play, playing a bit of a more sober melody. There was a repetitiveness to it, perhaps similar to its name. Oddly enough, she had the urge to speak as she played, as if pulled into conversation by Hamuko, “There is a story to this piece. It was written in a monastery he was staying in, of which let rain and wind in, causing his poor health to deteriorate even further. The near constant Ab notes are said to be the raindrops that helped inspire the piece.”

hamuko decided to make herself comfortable. lucia wouldn’t judge her for sitting on the floor, would she —— ? either way, the girl still slid to the ground, cracking open the textbook she had the foresight to bring along with her. if nothing else, the dark hour was good to catch up on schoolwork.      ( an advantage they all could stand to benefit from. ) of course, it wasn’t long before hamuko found herself distracted again —— her eyes slipping closed      ( out of habit, really ) to better appreciate lucia’s music.

❝ it’s so beautiful, but... so sad. ❞ hamuko mused —— her voice soft, as if she feared speaking louder would somehow shatter the magic of the moment. she could hardly remember ever hearing lucia talk so much before, yet she didn’t mind it. if anything, the girl wanted to hear even more. ❝ it’s almost like he turned what he was experiencing into song... you can really feel the raw emotion flowing through every note. ❞ her eyes stung with unshed tears. perhaps it was a bit silly of her to get so worked up over a piece of music, but hamuko felt no shame. song was important to her —— always had been, for as long as the girl could remember.      ( and she certainly wasn’t one to run away from feelings. ) dabbing gently at her eyes, the redhead smiled warmly.

❝ isn’t it strange how people so often create their best work in times of trouble? you’d think it would be the other way around. ❞ she crossed her arms, resting them on her      ( now forgotten ) textbook.

@foolvivere· wrote: “I just wanted to help you.” @ minato

“ & never help yourself? ” the question is nearly said on impulse, despite it being something he’d wanted to tell her for a while. he knew he was in no place to criticize her of all people, but at this point he had to say something or he’d regret it forever.

it wasn’t hard to tell for him that most of her attitude was an act, & eventually she was going to burn herself out. wasting all of her time & energy on him wasn’t going to help with anything. not him or her.

“if all your concerned about is making sure everyone else is okay, even when all they do is blow you off, you’ll never stop to care about yourself first. how are you supposed to help me when you cant even help yourself?” his tone is angrier then he intends, but he just wants her to put herself first, for once.

hamuko visibly recoiled—— as if his words were a slap in the face.      ( they certainly felt like one. ) several seconds passed by without a response; the girl simply stared at her twin in stunned silence. processing his words. running them over and over in her head—— and then over and over still. she couldn’t help herself? couldn’t help him—— ? perhaps that was true.      ( though not for a lack of trying. ) yet, even if that was the case, why did it hurt so much to hear? why did she feel so angry?❝ you... ❞ hamuko’s voice trembled. her whole body felt like it was shaking. ❝ you can’t say that. ❞

she met his gaze, a rare flash of genuine fury in crimson hues.❝ i didn’t just lose mom and dad on that bridge, minato! i lost you, too! ❞ they both knew as much, yet hamuko had never dared acknowledge it aloud.❝ you were the only family i had left and you—— you acted like i didn’t even exist! i had to learn how to keep living all on my own! i had to take care of everything, because NOBODY ELSE would! ❞ her vision blurred with angry tears; hamuko was an emotional crier—— always had been.

❝ maybe i can’t help you! maybe i NEVER could! ❞ she took a step forward, ignoring the dampness on her cheeks and steadily growing guilt in her chest.

             “      that  was  kind  of   too  close   for  comfort .          .  .  .     you  okay  ?      “           /       @foolvivere​

THE     world is deep and weary. though he adores it at most he could summon a fatigued smile. “ keep holding onto that choice, ” he replies with a miniscule amount of laughter in it. “ and unto hope. do not become like me. ”

yet in spite of that, hamuko still loves christmas.

in fact, it is because the holidays are such a bittersweet time that she tries her very hardest to make them enjoyable for everyone. hamuko knows what it’s like to lose a loved one. hamuko knows what it’s like to spend christmas alone. she wants to show the people most precious to her how much she cares about them while they’re still around, and it is for that reason she tends to go a bit overboard. buying presents, decorating, making extravagant meals... she’ll even try to drag others into watching cheesy hallmark-tier christmas movies with her, if she can.

it’s chaotic and silly, but it makes her genuinely happy. hamuko still cherishes her old memories of the holidays, but she also loves forming new ones to look back on with fondness. it helps combat that feeling of loss gnawing away at her.

     Her ‘leader’ said they weren’t going to do anything this dark hour, yet still she leaves her dorm for something. It’s odd, she almost always stays in there for some reason or another. Completing school work, working on herself, or playing her own piano. Yet instead of the small keyboard she has, she wishes to play something actually closer to what she used to do.

     In the lobby sits a grand piano, and there she is playing one of her favorites. It’s almost odd to say that she has favorites now. The yellow moon in the sky is little more than a crescent as the song Clair De Lune plays through the lobby of the dorms. No normal human to hear her, unlike when she would play the song before her decade long slumber.

     But there weren’t all normal humans in this dormitory. She knew she was followed, but she doesn’t stop playing when she acknowledges them.

     “You humans find it rude when your followed, don’t you? Just because I am a machine doesn’t mean I am any different. My sister may let you, but I don’t take as kindly to it.”

her words provoked a tiny gasp —— one that was nearly drowned out by the piano’s soft notes. hamuko poked her head around the corner, her expression equal parts apologetic and sheepish. ❝ i’m really sorry. ❞ she stepped out a bit more, fiddling with the wires of her headphones.      ( looking a bit like a small child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. ) ❝ i didn’t want to sneak around like that... i was just afraid to interrupt you. ❞ though evidently her fears had been unfounded —— even now, lucia continued playing. some may have found the decision to do so rude, but hamuko could only admire her dedication.

❝ i’m supposed to be studying, but it’s hard for me to focus without something to listen to. ❞ the girl spared a somber glance at her music player.      ( almost as if she was mourning a fallen friend. ) hamuko was hardly ever seen without it —— something lucia had no doubt noticed by that point. ❝ regular electronics don’t work during the dark hour... i was thinking about asking mitsuru-senpai to have it modified, but... ❞ she trailed off. lucia probably didn’t care, right? hamuko didn’t want to bother her with something so trivial.

❝ um... your piano playing is pretty, though! ❞ a bright smile. ❝ more than pretty. i think it’s beautiful —— you’re really talented, lucia. ❞

oh look. hamuko’s christmas wish came true.

YOU    TAUGHT    ME          THE  COURAGE  OF  STARS  BEFORE  YOU  LEFT .  HOW  LIFE  CARRIES  ON  ENDLESSLY  EVEN  AFTER  DEATH .  HOW  RARE  &&.  BEAUTIFUL  IT  IS  TO  EVEN  EXIST .

                   FOOLMORI          ★          FOOLVIVERE          ★          FOOLABYSSUS