at the end of the river, the sundown beams

[destage]

[Well...that trial was most certainly a thing, now wasn't it.

It's probably a while after the trial that some notes will be going underneath people's doors, written in a nice, clean scrawl--]

For anyone who hasn't gotten anything to eat, there will be food and refreshments provided in the dining room courtesy of Estelle-san and I. Feel free to take as much as you need.

Please stay strong, everyone.

♥ Estelle and Sayaka

[True to the word, there's plenty of food to go around--potato stew courtesy of Estelle, and curry courtesy of Sayaka. There's coffee and tea out as well, for anyone to drink, and...well, it's more or less an optional thing. After today, some might need it.]

Comments

[heritrix]

[You know, Rin's never been to Okinawa to really try their cuisine, other than what a few transfer students might bring to class sometimes and share. She was about to ask if Hibiki would be interested in trading recipes, when Hibiki says that and boy, that's an innocent mistaken that needs to be corrected right away. Rin's smile falls for a comically flat expression, and she waves a hand.]

He's not my friend.

[brandnewday]

He isn't?

[Hibiki shrinks a little, feeling for the second time today like she's said the completely wrong thing. That's not much fun for her. But it's probably not as bad as earlier, right? She looks down at the animal she hadn't started making and then back up at Rin.]

I guess I got it wrong, huh?

[heritrix]

[...oh, she looks kind of upset? It takes Rin a moment, but thinking back to the trial she can guess why.]

Completely wrong, but it's fine. It was an innocent mistake, so you shouldn't dwell on it.

[brandnewday]

Mm, alright.

[That makes her feel a bit better! But now that she thinks about it, isn't it also weird that two people know each other? ...Is there anyone else like that? It's not like she's asked, and she doesn't know anyone else here.]

So, is he a friend of your dad's or somethin'?

[heritrix]

[She had a few more words of pep talk in her if needed, but Hibiki already looks like she felt bolstered by that. At least that's how it appears to Rin; she's not the best at reading people.]

Your guess was warm that time.

[Rin flashes Hibiki a brief, encouraging smile, then leans her back against the counter. See? You're doing well.]

Kirei was an apprentice of my father's, and after his death, he became my guardian. As the succeeding head of the Tohsaka family, that makes him both my disciple and my second teacher.

[brandnewday]

[SHE REALLY NEEDS THEM. But she's doing her idol best at conversation tonight. Surely, trying to force a smile won't hurt her in the long run, right?]

That sounds really complicated! So he's...takin' care of you, but he's also...your disciple? Does that mean you're smarter than him? Oh, but he's your teacher, so maybe...nope, I don't really get it unless you're both each other's teachers or somethin'.

[She's trying so hard. She really is. That sounds like a complicated relationship on paper at any rate.]

[heritrix]

I wouldn't say I'm smarter than him. There are things I'm more adept than he is with, but similarly he's more skilled than I am at others because we excel in different fields.

[As much as Rin might dislike Kirei, you'll never see her diss on his capabilities.]

Basically, we're both apprentices of Tohsaka, but Kirei is an outsider where I'm the heir, both to the family and as supervisor of the land. This puts me in a higher position than his when it comes to matters concerning those things.

[Though until recently, that was in name only. Naturally when things started, Rin was too young to handle most of her responsibilities, but she wanted to keep the explanation simple.]

Does that make more sense?

[brandnewday]

Mm, I get it! It sounds kinda like there's a hierarchy! He might be older and bigger, but you've got all the resources. Like in elephants!

[Males do all the fighting and get some good stuff, but being a female means you're more adept at socializing. She's not explaining this, but suddenly comparing it to an animal relationship makes sense??? Leave it to Hibiki to compare Fate/Stay to dominance hierarchy.]

But that makes you sound even more impressive. Heir, supervisor...you're a really important person, aren't you?

[heritrix]

Of course. When you're a person with important responsibilities, that's typically the result. The responsibilities inform my character in that respect.

[While there might be a tinge or pride in that, Rin relays this fairly casually as well, as if it's just a matter of fact. A moment later she seems to rethink things, tilting her head as if she just heard something odd.]

Though I'm not certain I get the comparison to elephants... [Bouncing back away from the counter, Rin turns to face Hibiki properly.] On top of being an idol, are you a zoologist as well?