Ever Studious

[oogie]

The droning of the citizens of Halloween Town. It was a tad on the disturbing side, but like all cities, you eventually get used to it, your brain writing it off as ambient sound. The pale fellow had to admit to himself as he sat on a bench in front of the serpent fountain; the sudden screams and clanging had been unnerving, even going so far as to resurrect a few long dead and best buried memories. But that was behind him now. All in the past. Once he had adjusted, he could busy his mind again- distract it from those dark and foreboding thoughts.

As it turned out, there was a scientist in town. One Doctor Finklestein. The book currently held at hand was from his library. A book on astronomy. The good doctor had suggested it shortly after the Professor had come to dwell in the holiday world.

When it came to "multiple worlds", Kuro was no stranger to the concept. Lord knows that he knew of other worlds all too well... worlds where no one in their right mind would dare to tread. However, it was this business about "gummi travel" and "heartless" that began to lose the brilliant young man. Not so much because the concepts were complex, simply that they seemed to fantastic to be real.

Scientifically, neither gummi ships nor the Heartless should exist, had argued Kuro. Any substance so malleable that it sticks together when pressed together like that had no chance to survive interstellar travel. At least, that had been his position. That all changed when the doctor took Kuro to what had been dubbed the "bus stop".

It was not for a bus, though it was public transportation. A ship. Precisely as the doctor had described. To the touch it was soft; much like starburst candies. Now, firmly corrected, the professor sought to learn more about this strange and new world- no... universe in which he found himself.

For this, he was studying. Literally reading about it in a book on a bench in front of a fountain. Not the best way to experience something, but it was a start.

[yanagi]

Limber was sitting on the edge of the fountain. At first she had been a little worried that the green something would splash her but it didn’t. She had her backpack beside her and was in the process of changing her socks. She needed to wash them soon and, she looked behind her, her feline nose scrunched up, the public fountain was not a possibility.

She slipped her shoes on and her eye caught on someone else. She stared at a young man sitting on a nearby bench. He looked like he belonged but, for one thing, he was reading a book. Limber stood up and slowly, circled the man and his bench, looking at other things and people but sparing a few glances for him. He looked ghoulish enough but he wasn’t actually a ghoul, perhaps a vampire? No cloak and, judging by the ones she had met here, that was the norm.

The people in this town were friendly. She had only been in town a few days and she’d been able to talk to everyone she met on the street, the musicians in particular, and the witches were full of gossip. But she had not seen this person and, unlike everyone else, he was engaging in an activity that divorced him from the goings on around him.

Limber smiled. She was in a curious mood, like a cat. She sat back on the edge of the fountain and stared at him. Come to think of it, she hadn’t read a book in a while.

[oogie]

Kuro was an intellectual sort, and nearly stereotypical to it; glasses included. However, as brilliant as the "genius" stereotype tends to be, it generally comes with a few... eccentricities. One common one, which Kuro was demonstrating at that moment, is "hyperfocus". If asked what this was, someone like Kuro would have explained that hyperfocus is "an intense form of mental concentration or visualization that focuses consciousness on a narrow subject, separate from objective reality and onto subjective mental planes, daydreams, concepts, fiction, the imagination, and other objects of the mind, such as cognitive thought, better known as 'study'."

What it means to normal people is exactly what the word says. "Focusing hyperly".

As he sat on the bench, arm draper over the back, one leg crossed over the other, he was literally unaware of the world around him as he read. In this hypnotic state, he did not notice the femme feline as she circled him. How could he? As far as he was concerned at that very moment, nothing else existed except for the Introduction to the Quantum Mechanics of Interstellar Gummi Travel, page four-hundred and sixty three.

[yanagi]

Limber’s eyes drifted. She was getting bored with this. She stood up, checked the back of her jumper for green stains (there were none) and walked off to find something to eat.

She’d be back, perhaps after a walk around the town. Limber felt it was a safe bet to expect the man to stay exactly where he was, and if he didn’t, well, she shrugged; That was that.

Just then a hunchback pushed a cart into the square. “Candy apples. He called.

“Sticky and sweet, the next best thing to slimy and green. Getchyor Candy apples!”

Limber decided she would get a candy apple and wander around the Guillotine square instead. If he didn’t do anything interesting by the time she was done, she really was done. She hurried over to the apple seller.

[oogie]

It was not the sound of the vendor. No, in this state, nothing short of an explosion could aurally pull Kuro from this fascinating chapter on the effects of gravitational fluctuation on gummi navigation. No. It was the smell. That sweet smell of candied fruit. Not only did that stir the professor's sweet tooth (the brain needs glucose to function, after all), but also stirred his belly; which growled loudly, reminding him that it had been...

He checked his watch.

That couldn't be right. He had eaten this morning, prior to going to see the Doctor for this book. But if his watch was accurate, that meant he hadn't eaten in over 8 hours.

With the dawning of that realization, hunger struck Kuro in the face like an angry ex girlfriend. Utterly famished, he gently slid a bookmark into place and closed the book.

There, at the vendor's cart (the Mr. Hyde's, if Kuro's memory served) there was a figure. Shorter than his own (but that was not a difficult thing, though this one was virtually tiny) and significantly and distinctively feminine... not to mention- feline. He blinked a few times. Not because her appearance surprised him- after all, he had grown acclimated to the seemingly spontaneous and whimsical appearance of the Halloween Town denizens, but more in that of all the citizens he'd met: she was unfamiliar.

He rose. After all, her over all stature was reminiscent of a child's. And as Kuro's new profession was the education of the youth of Halloween Town, it was his duty to make the acquaintance of the young girl... and ask why she had not attended classes.

He began his approach. Tall, pale, and eerily thin.... yet smiling with a surprising warmth, usually not found on the faces of the other citizens.

[yanagi]

“Here you go little girl,” the vendor said as he handed her an apple on a stick. The red candy coating glistened. The hunchback smiled. “Ya know, there’s a worm for every ten apples. Maybe you’ll get lucky.” Limber nodded, “Perhaps.”

She turned away from the vender and looked down at a purchase that didn’t seem nearly as appetizing. She began peeling away the candy coating with a thumbnail and looked up. The mystery person had gotten up and was walking towards her smiling. She felt frightened. He was smiling warmly. She wasn’t used to that. That and he was tall.

Limber walked over to a wall to eat her apple. Perhaps this man was heading towards the cart and not her.

She nibbled the bare bit of apple with great focus on what she was doing, her eyes on the task.

[oogie]

Her suspicions proved to be -in part- correct. Kuro did indeed stop by the cart first, where he purchased a candied apple. However, his second destination was very clear. He soon joined her at the wall, though there was still a comfortable distance between them. After all, he didn't want to invade her personal space. Not so much out of fear of intimidating her (after all, if she was a Halloween Town native, she would be impervious to such), but to prevent himself from being portrayed as rude.

He bit into his apple. The sweet sensation only reminded him of the eight hour lapse in his sustenance intake. He was quick to chew and swallow. Both because he was hungry, and also because he wanted to clear his mouth to begin a dialogue with the young lady.... or would it be kitten?

"Good evening." He said warmly with a smile. His tenor voice carried the faintest hint of a refined British accent. "What fine weather we seem to be having. Not too cold, but just the faintest chill in the breeze. It's enough to make one stop to truly enjoy the autumn, wouldn't you say miss?"

[yanagi]

Limber cleared enough of the candy coating away and took a real bit. She looked up as she chewed and watched the man buy an apple for himself and then turn in her direction and start walking, the smile on his face directed at her. He stopped and stood beside her but with enough of a distance that eye contact was possible despite the difference in height.

Limber could actually see his face and actions without it being obvious that she was looking. There was nothing like having to crane ones’ neck to eliminate all hope of discretion.

The man bit into his apple and seemed to enjoy it. He chewed, swallowed and then turned to her.

“Good Evening. What fine weather we seem to be having. Not to cold, but just the faintest chill in the breeze. It’s enough to make one stop to truly enjoy the autumn. Wouldn’t you say, miss?

Limber tilted her head slightly towards him and glanced up. The man had a pleasant voice with some accent. Limber realized she had many choices on how to respond. She could be disparaging, outright rude, pleasant and distant or just say what she wanted to.

It had been a while since she had honestly responded and she knew that the face she wore should have made reading her expression nearly impossible, or at the very least, difficult. That in part, made the decision to do so easier.
Limber picked at the candy coating of her apple before turning to look up at him.

She nodded, her whiskers bouncing. “I agree. It is nice.”

Her voice was low, though with the normal range for a woman. It fit well as the voice of a black cat.

[oogie]

Her response was definitely a few octaves lower than Kuro had expected. The vocal range of a post-adolescent female. He hoped that the inherent darkness of the night would disguise his blush upon realizing his mistake. This was no girl, but rather a young woman. Internally, he chastised himself most harshly for his assumption. In fact, given her vocal range, Kuro now speculated that she was between 17 and 20, which would put her just outside of the Halloween Town's academy's age range.

Quite awkward. And if he didn't say something else soon, it would be quite more so.

"So... ah... um..." Brilliant. With all of his capacity for thought and wealth of knowledge in various subject matters, his brain simply wouldn't produce the words to articulate next.

His blushed deepened.

[yanagi]

Limber fastidiously pulled off a piece of candy coating. She didn’t really want to eat it and her nose wrinkled an affirmative to that but she was in no position to waste food. She carefully took it between her lips and started to chew. The sweetness was overpowering so she balanced it with more apple.

She realized that her companion hadn’t said anything.

“So…ah…um,” he said and she waited a few seconds more.

She glanced up. What was wrong? He was capable of speech, or had seemed to be just a moment ago. Unless. Perhaps a ghost had decided to play a trick on her and possess some poor fool. Limber glanced around suspiciously. There were some ghosts around but none of them seemed particularly interested in her or the man beside her.

He seemed so uncomfortable and Limber almost felt bad. She hadn’t done anything.

“So?” she asked and took a bite of her apple as she looked up at him.

[oogie]

Think, think, think! Talking to children was one thing, but a lady? Especially one this close to his own age that he had mistaken for a child? A child he had intended to chastise for truancy at that.

He looked over at her, fiddling with the candy layer of her apple. There! A conversation piece!

"How do you like the apple?" He said with a smile. "Personally, I prefer Mr. Hyde's candied apples best. However, his caramel coated ones are quite appetizing as well."

Wonderful. Save the conversation... and neglect your manners, professor...

"Oh! Where are my manners." He extended his free hand. "My name is Kuro. I'm one of the professors in the local educational facility. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss."

[yanagi]

"How do you like the apple?" He said with a smile. "Personally, I prefer Mr. Hyde's candied apples best. However, his caramel coated ones are quite appetizing as well."

“The apple is good” She neglected to mention that the apple itself was why she’d bought it, not that it was covered in sugar. “I may try the caramel coating next time.”

"Oh! Where are my manners," said the man. He extended his free hand. "My name is Kuro. I'm one of the professors in the local educational facility. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss."

A teacher "A professor at the local educational facility.” Limber nearly smiled at that. She had to remind herself not to be sarcastic and analyze what he said for things to pick at. She smiled, amused with herself. Perhaps she could make a friend. Perhaps the candy coating was affecting her, she almost felt excited.

She finished her apple and turned towards Kuro (easy name to remember) She took his hand and shook it and smiled up at him.

“I’m Limber. So, have you been teaching long? I noticed you earlier reading a book and I was curious, you seemed so intent. May I see what you are reading?”

[oogie]

"The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Limber." His gaunt face smiled with an uncharacteristic warmth. Why wouldn't it? He had gone from crashing and burning the conversation a few moments ago to setting it on a definite and logical course. With any luck, he wouldn't freeze up again.

"I have been a teacher, among other things, for years now. However, it was only recently that I began a career here in Halloween Town. You see, to be perfectly honest, I'm new here. Well... not merely here- the town- but rather, to everything. The Heartless, the free flow of visitor to multiple words, this "gummi" travel. Actually, that is the subject of the book I've borrowed-" He lifted the copy of Introduction to the Quantum Mechanics of Interstellar Gummi Travel from under his arm. The thick tome must have weighed a good deal, as its dimensions were awe-inspiring for a textbook. It was nearly six-inches thick from cover to cover.

"You see, where I'm from, such availability of personalized or even public space flight was nothing more than a hope for the future- a fantasy. The fact that it could be done with materials composed of gelatinous mass... well, to be honest, when I heard it, I thought it impossible. However, I was proven to be incorrect in that assumption. It is all truly very fascinating; especially the theory of gravitational mass condensation-"

He caught himself- there was no way in heaven, hell, or space-time that this girl was going to be at all interested in the advanced physics babble he was about to delve into. Besides, he had already answered her question. To replicate a physics lecture would do nothing more than make him seem like the over-talkative, obnoxious sort. Instead, he believed this to be the proper next step.

"So, then, Ms. Limber, are you from around here? I don't believe I've seen you before."

[yanagi]

Limber listened. And listened. The man was babbling. He seemed to be easily excited by learning and to explain that he had gained the knowledge or to pass it on. The second was very useful for a teacher; the first could be annoying in large amounts. She wondered why he did not just surrender the book and let her look through it. That had been what she asked.


As it happened, Limber was interested in gummi travel. She had been curious as to how the ships worked though she had mostly been glad that they did and she might have asked a question or two if Kuro had been quiet.

“So, then, Ms.Limber, are you from around here? I don’t believe I’ve seen you before,” said Kuro, stopping in mid sentence to ask her that.

If he was going to call her Ms. Limber, she wondered why he had only given one name. She’d only given her first name because she thought they were trying to be friendly. As with Kanji, she felt that being called Ms. Limber made her sound like a teacher, which she wasn’t and Kuro most definitely was not a student.

Limber nearly sighed but instead smiled. “What a coincidence, Kuro. I am also new in town . I’ve only been here a few days. If we are both new we must have just missed seeing each other several times.”

[oogie]

"I suppose we must have. How unfortunate to have not made your acquaintance sooner."

Of course, the entire concept of the current universe being new to Kuro, and given that he looked precisely the same when he woke up on Halloween Town as he did going to sleep on his home world- Kuro was unfamiliar with "world magic". Specifically, the effects of Halloween Town's ambiance on most visitors.

"I do not mean to pry, Ms. Limber, and thus, feel free to let me know if I've over stepped my boundaries, but..." he paused as though trying to find the right wording, "What does your species call itself?"