Logs:I See You

I See You
Dramatis Personae Nanami, Sera	2021-01-14 "It's nice to just get out sometimes with the quiet."
Location <XAV> Grounds - Xs Grounds
Xavier's School is situated on grounds as luxurious as the mansion itself. The tree-lined drive brings you up to the lush green sweep of front lawn and the wide front porch with its bench swing, often frequented by students studying in pleasant weather. The large oak tree in the front yard is home to a tire swing, installed long ago beneath the sturdy old treehouse. The lawn rolls out all the way down to the thin rocky pier at the edge of the glittering lake. The water stretches huge and wide off into the distance, the boathouse a small blip at its shore. Along its bank, forest stretches dense and shady to one side; to the other cliffs start to rise, high and rocky, providing trails for hiking or climbing, for the adventurous. Though the day was mild it's gotten decidedly wintry out now, a sharp chill in the air that only grows worse with the thankfully intermittent whip of wind from the direction of the lake. It's a clear night, thankfully -- the only light out here this far from the mansion comes from the bare sliver of the crescent moon and the many stars currently visible overhead. Nanami is dressed warmly -- fleece-lined leggings dotted with hearts, thick scrunchy knee-high socks over those, that match the armwarmers she's wearing, pleated skirt, ankle boots, a long wool coat, scarf, knit cap pulled down over her pair of braids. She's just taken up a perch on a flat rock along the path that leads up into the hills, a thermos cupped in her hands and her head tipped back toward the sky. The phone in her lap has, for a moment, been a giveaway as to her location, screen lighting up bright, but then it switches back off to leave her in the dark with her contemplation once more. Her mental landscape is less peaceful than she looks, a mix of stress and worry and anxiety that are, at least at this moment, easing underneath familiarity, comfort, enjoyment as she takes another sip of the cinnamony cocoa in her thermos. Sera's approach from the mansion isn't noisy, per se, but as she starts picking her way slowly up the path her unfamiliarity with the terrain definitely shows as her steps scuff and occasionally stumble. She's swathed in a duffel coat with the hood push back to reveal a soft knitted cap, wide-leg blue jeans, and hiking boots, a fluffy scarf looped around her neck and a bag slung over one shoulder. Spotting Nanami, she hesitates for a moment, then continues out, deliberately walking louder now as she gets closer. "Hey there," she says once she gets within a few steps, her voice a little hushed though not exactly a whisper, either. "Didn't think it'd be a popular night to hang out here, what with the wind." There's a jangle of panic that crosses Nanami's mind, together with some sharper crackle. Both soon subside back into her previous quieter mix as Sera draws closer. "Hey." Her voice is warm, and quiet. "Chee, yeah, is cold as balls, huh? Had so many clouds lately though. I like to see the sky for once." She's squinting intently in the dark toward Sera but then back up at the sky overhead. "You go for a hike like -- now?" The wash of Sera's excitement when Nanami mentions the clear sky is palpable but perhaps subtle enough to feel natural. "That's why I'm out here, actually!" Her gaze turns upward, too. "I've been looking for good stargazing spots around campus. I like hiking, too, but I like it better when I can see where I'm going." She pauses, looks back at Nanami, to the extent she can make out the other girl in the darkness. "I think we have math together, but I don't remember your name. I'm Sera." "Round here, I don't know. Some kids they see fine in the dark. Not me, though." Nanami scoots to one side, waving a hand toward the rock beside her. "You want sit?" She curls her hands around her thermos, boot heels crunching quietly on the small stones as her feet shift toward each other. "Sera, yeah, I remember. You came with us through the -- thing." This is just a little stiffer, something colder and fearful twisting briefly in Nanami before she pushes it back down. "I'm Nanami. I know plenny good spots for seeing the stars." Sera nods, then adds aloud, "Yeah! Thank you." She closes the rest of the distance carefully enough not to trip, but does hesitate for a fraction of a second before she sits down, pulling her bag into her lap. "Oh! I heard some about what you went through -- there. I'm sorry." Her sorrow is quiet, and soon collected back in with a hard swallow. "That's great! I'd love to learn all of them, though I understand if you have secret spots." There's a soft wonder in her next words as she tips her head back again to gaze up. "It's so much better out here than in the city, with all the lights." "Yeah. It was a whole mess. I'm sorry, too. That's gotta be -- chhh." Nanami shakes her head, tongue clicking against her teeth. "I can't really get my head around your side of things. You want some cocoa?" She offers the thermos out with a small waggle. Her head still tilts back, her other hand braced against the stone. "Haven't been here long enough to have much secrets. I mostly joined the Astronomy Club for the cocoa, but they showed lots of good spots, too." "I can't even really get my head around it." Sera's long, shaky exhale comes out as a puff of white vapor that the wind swiftly tears away. "But it was the only way to keep me and my family safe, after...all that." The sadness comes back sharper, edged with homesickness. "Thank you." She accepts the cocoa, takes a careful sip and hums appreciatively. She sits up a little straighter, her startled pleasure spilling over momentarily. "I didn't know there was an Astronomy Club!" Then, a little sheepishly. "I guess I might if I'd actually read the piles of stuff they gave me at orientation. It was kind of overwhelming." "That -- sucks. I'm sorry. I only met your brothers for a minute but they were really nice to me in a really scary time and we'd probably have died without them. I'm -- just sorry." Nanami is quiet after this, for a stretch, tucking her heels up against the rock and just sitting with the discomfort and uncertainty and sorrow that mingle. "Astronomy club is great. Not so many people in it. It's nice to just get out sometimes with the quiet." "My brothers are pretty amazing," Sera agrees softly, handing the thermos back to Nanami. This time when she gathers her power back in it stays, for the time being. "It's awful what happened to you, and I'm glad they could help." She curls her legs up, squashing the bag against her chest. "That sounds really nice, I'll check it out." As if only remembering the bag now that's uncomfortable, she digs a pair of binoculars out of it. "I don't mind quiet if you want that now, but it sounds like you've been doing this stargazing thing a while, so if you feel like helping me find the Pleiades..." The perk of her shoulders is slightly hopeful. Nanami takes the thermos back with a bob of her head and a soft puff of laugh. One of her hands stretches up as she leans in closer to Sera, pointing toward the sky. "Makali'i? You don't hardly need the glasses for that, look, see --"