2026-05-30: Being Real
- Log: Being Real
- Cast: Minako Arisato, Lisa Silverman
- Where: Naganaki Shrine
- OOC Date: May 30, 2026
- IC Date: November 17, 2012
- Summary: Minako and Lisa meet up at Naganaki Shrine, since Lisa doesn't want to ask Minako to go too far after a medical emergency. They talk a little about that, awkwardly, before shifting tracks...
(|============================= Naganaki Shrine ==============================|)
-================================================== Iwatodai City/Iwatodai ====-
Naganaki Shrine is a piece of tradition in the middle of the city. Long stairs
lead up to a stone-pathed pavilion lined with sacred trees; immediately to one's
left is a children's playground, with slide, see-saw and a jungle gym. The first
part of the shrine proper is the cleansing area, where one washes out one's
mouth and hands in order to respectfully meet the Gods. This done, one may
approach the shrine.
Two lion-dogs fiercely guard the monetary offering booth, where many a student
has come praying for academic success. Off to the side, one may receive a
relationship fortune and tie it off, in hopes of growing closer to a special
someone. To the other side of the shrine are red pillars which lead one to the
/Inari/ Shrine, another place for prayer. One may receive items, here, if items
are sacrificed in turn. Beside the Inari Shrine is a great sacred tree,
protected behind a fence and by a series of tags tied about it from a holy rope;
a sign beside it describes the history of this place, going into the sacred tree
and the Shrine's deity.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako hasn't seen Lisa in a few days. Which is unusual since they started hanging out -- they had seen each other a few times, before, after all. But then, she passed out after summoning Mors and she needed time to recover. But, now, it's time to meet up with her. Thus, she is at the Naganaki Shrine -- a little past the entrance.
It's nearly sunset. The shrine has closed for the day, but the grounds can be explored -- and Minako is the only one here. She has her light jacket, an orange-colored one, on; she also has a skirt, stockings, and shoes on. She changed out of her school uniform earlier.
She stands in sight of the entrance steps, hand clasping her bag. She feels nervous -- after all... being hurt and unable to say why ended things with Ren.
And with Lisa, it isn't like that. But, still...
She smiles, bobbing on her feet.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Lisa didn't think too much of that at first--after all, they both have school and all--but when hearing from Yukari last night about Minako's 'health emergency'...
She was worried!
Lisa's dressed in green and light gray today, a jacket over a draping top and a short skirt with stars on it, with some boots. Overall the effect is fashionable! ...And, as usual, she sacrifices 'obvious warmth' for 'looking good'. It's fine.
Also fine is.. the shrine! Lisa tilts her head as she turns the corner, looking up at the stairs--and then--ah, there's--
"Wai, Minako-chan!" Lisa greets her cheerfully, and comes over quickly.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"Lisa-chan!" Minako says. She smiles and walks, to meet her the rest of the way. She slows to a stop as she reaches her, then she tilts her head. "I'm glad you could meet up. Um--"
She hesitates. Awkwardness is briefly written all across her face. But, then, she nods her head loosely. "...I'm sorry, uh, that I didn't have a chance to tell you."
She glances to the side. There's more to it -- but she doesn't explain. She can't.
"I hope I didn't worry you, too much."
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Lisa doens't quite vibrate in place when she comes to a stop before Minako, but she has that sort of energy to her. "Totally," she says of meeting up,a nd then she spots the awkwardness, and--
"It's okay!" Lisa is quick to reassure Minako. "I was a little surprised! Yukari-chan told me," as Minako probably knows by now, "But it's fine--you were focused on resting or whatever, right?"
"As long as you're OK, it's OK," she settles on. "Anyway, how are you feeling now? You wanted to meet here?:"
A beat, "The shrine looks really pretty..."
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako blinks once -- it's a bit of a surprise how quickly Lisa simply grapples with it and comes to terms. She cracks a smile, and then she hesitates. "Uh... yeah. Basically. I needed a lot of rest, and I was... sleeping a lot."
She bites her lip for a second.
"I did. Um--it'd been a few days," she says. "So... I thought it'd be nice to hang out. You... wanna take a walk around the shrine? We can't go in, but we can do that." She glances sideways at Lisa. She had dodged the question about how she feels now.
"I'm feeling... better," she admits. "Just... you know. A little shook up, I guess."
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Internally, Lisa thinks, it makes sense that Minako wouldn't have thought to tell her immediately--they haven't known each other that long. Maybe that's part of why she pushes it down and Doesn't Worry About It. Instead, she smiles back. "That's cool," Lisa says. "...But if it's ever really serious, I'd... like it if you could have somebody tell me."
But--a few days. "I like hanging out," Lisa answers. "Hmm. Sure!"
She did dodge the question.. but she gets back to it. Shook up...
"Yeah..."
She hesitates; Minako might spot it. Part of her wants to ask more, wants to know more, but...
"Better's a good place to start! Maybe I can help. I'd love to walk with you. Have you been to this shrine a lot?"
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"I, um... yeah. I can do that. Ask Yukari-chan or someone else to do that." Minako looks back at Lisa, and the smile comes a little slower this time. She looks at her friend with a moment of hesitation. She spots the look on Lisa's face; the desire to know more, and that stings. It reminds her of Ren.
"Sure," she says. She starts walking -- past the playground, around the side of the shrine. It's a serene little garden there -- mostly some bushes and trees, keep in good shape, with the walls around the shrine and the shrine itself enclosing it.
"Mm-hm. Since I live nearby," Minako answers. She hesitates for a second.
"...Um." She stops walking, in front of Lisa. Her back is to her, and she looks down. "...I'm sorry I can't tell you more. I--it's a secret. And if that's... that's too much for you... I get it."
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"Thanks," Lisa says, a little more sincerely. She does want to know more, but...
They can walk. "Oh..." Lisa looks at the shrine grounds. Serene is a good word for it, and the walls are enough to insulate it from the wider area. That's nice, too. "My parents are always trying to get me to appreciate traditional stuff like this..."
But Minako lives nearby. "Cool."
Minako stops, and Lisa pauses, her hand shifting as she resists the urge to raise it towards Minako, who apologizes. "...Oh," Lisa says. "So it's not just me... it's a secret."
That makes her feel... both better and worse.
"Well, we're friends, right? We... didn't decide to..."
"I mean, it's okay. If you can't tell me, you can't tell me. It doesn't mean I don't like being around you."
"...If a couple secrets are what that costs, then... OK."
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"I mean... um... I figured we wanted a place with some privacy," Minako admits, a little lamely.
Admittedly, with her current thoughts, she isn't quite on their other shared hobby at the moment. She still looks away from Lisa, her eyes down on the ground. "No, it's--it's not you at all. I like you, Lisa-chan. It's just..."
She trails off. "...Yeah. I--um. I know we're not... like that," she says. "But with Ren-kun, I couldn't tell him. And that ate away at me. And I guess I worried... I worried I was doing it again."
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"I like privacy," Lisa answers, and if it's a little lame too she at least smiles.
It's not her. That much... does help. But Lisa thinks about it. ...She sees minako's difficulty...
"It must be hard," Lisa says quietly, walking up to close some of the distance between her and Minako. She reaches out--to put a hand gently on her upper arm. "Hey..."
"It's okay," Lisa says, and smiles. "If you can ever tell me, great. If you can't... that's OK."
"It's hard enough to keep a secret without feeling guilty about it, right?"
"So don't."
Lisa bites her lip. "...I've felt..."
"I've felt strange," she says. "Like there's something out there I remember... but I don't."
"I don't know what I'm saying. I just mean..."
"It's OK, right? If I don't mind."
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako blinks when she feels Lisa's hand on her upper arm. She turns around, finally, to face Lisa. Her crimson eyes blink, but then she smiles. "Yeah... yeah, I think I understand. I--um--I'll try to not feel guilty about it."
Her head tilts -- and she smiles, a little crookedly. "Sometimes that's easier said than done, though."
She hesitates for a moment, though. She didn't realize that Lisa also had a problem that is hard to define. And in a way, that makes it easier for Minako. It's easier to focus on someone else.
So she steps closer, until they're very close to each other.
"...When you're with me," she says. "Does it feel like something you should remember... or something you don't?"
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Lisa doesn't linger, but she thought a touch might do better than just a call. She lowers her hand after Minako turns around, spots the blink, and then laughs softly. "I know. Feelings are hard. ...But trying is cool." She seems to get it--which is good, because Lisa is only reasonably sure that she understands what she's saying herself.
They are very close, all of a sudden. Lisa looks up just a little bit into Minako's eyes.
"...No," she says. "When I'm with you... It doesn't feel weird at all. There's nothing I'm 'supposed' to be doing, or feeling, instead of what I am."
"It's... good."
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako swallows, feeling her cheeks getting a little hot. But she doesn't move back from Lisa, and looks back into Lisa's eyes. She smiles, though, at the answer.
"I'm glad," she says, her voice quiet. "I don't want you to feel like you've... got to be someone else, around me."
She hesitates for a moment more. Her red eyes look to the side, for a moment. What Kandori told her comes back to her, the words still stinging.
"...Sometimes, I get this feeling. Like I'm not... really here. Or like I'm not... real, I guess. It's so hard to describe," Minako says. "But... I don't find myself wondering, when I'm with you, Lisa-chan."
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"I don't," Lisa confirms again, though it occurs to her that she already said that and Minako might think she's a little dim for just repeating herself. ...She ignores that voice.
But Minako's hesitation is clear to Lisa; there's soemthing there... But she just said she wouldn't pry, so instead, she just listens to what the other girl does say.
"I see..."
Not really here. Not... real.
"...I don't, but... I do feel like... sometimes it feels like everything's so precarious. Like there's something different under the surface..."
She smiles back. "But I'm happy you'd say that. I want you to feel 'real' with me."
"...To be... here."
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako doesn't think Lisa is dim. She smiles at her, though, and her smile widens more at hearing that Lisa wants her to feel 'real' with her. She looks at her for a moment, before she slides both of her arms around Lisa's shoulders.
"I'm here," she says. "And... there's nothing underneath the surface, right now. Just... here."
She exhales, softly.
"And just us."
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Lisa is glad. ...And with the walls around them, it feels a little cozier, with Minako's arms around her. "Here. Right now."
Lisa smiles back, and leans a little closer still, tilting her head slightly. "Just us."
"...Maybe..."
"We could be 'just here' for a little while, then...?"
The request--or the invitation--is pretty clear from Lisa's part.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako listens to the request -- the invitation -- and she smiles. Her cheeks flush a little bit, but then she nods her head.
"I think that's a great idea," she says, her voice quiet, even as her heart thumps loudly in her chest.
"I don't wanna be anywhere else."