Slopes (Open Starter)
Shiori was attempting to not get jostled around too much as she approached the school. She mostly just wanted to keep to herself, not get too many questions about why her voice was funny, and make it through the day so she could see her birds at the sanctuary again. It would be nice to see them again, with their colors and feathers and—
She was startled as she stepped on an unexpected obstacle. It was a long, thin metal pole. Perhaps for a sport of some sort? Shiori bent over and picked up the item curiously. It must have belonged to someone! But who?
Casting a glance around, her gaze alighted on Hotaku. It looked like he was trying to collect a series of similar objects—so this could have been his pole, perhaps! Shiori allowed herself to crack a small smile before weaving her way through the bodies over to where Hotaku was.
Of course, this was where things always got a little sticky for her.
Shiori gently tapped Hotaku’s shoulder, hoping to attract his attention. “Hello?” She ventured tentatively. Shiori wondered, how do I sound? But she couldn’t spend much time wondering about that. “Is this yours?” She extended the pole to him, biting the inside of her cheek slightly.
Hotaku jumped a bit as he felt someone tap his shoulder. He whirled around to face the small girl, blinking in surprise as he noticed she was holding one of his ski poles.
"Oh. Yeah, that's mine. Uh, thanks!" he said, mumbling a bit under his scar.
He examined the girl a bit. She was smaller than him, and pretty cute. Her voice sounded a bit... unusual, but it was no big deal.
