Tomorrow, Unlike Yesterday [JTT - Matthew / Luna]

[Luna Melrose]

She had really hoped she could’ve remained tucked away in bed, today; alas, the whims of an Academy certainly precede her own. On the schedule, this afternoon, was a short exercise many students now had to undertake, an evaluation of their control over one’s own spiritual reserves; it was almost like a tradition for this school, unsurprisingly given what they were studying for and the duties they would eventually be carrying. Unfortunately, anything else and Luna might’ve been able to fake it, but her own spiritual powers were a field she couldn’t pretend having any sovereignty over; the energy within herself was in perpetual turmoil and would constantly run wild against her wish whenever she tried making use of it, despite her best attempts to rectify the situation. Saying that she felt uneasy about this assessment of her capabilities would be an understatement, the girl dreading having to showcase this side of herself for all to see; she already knew the outcome, after all.

Standing in the Academy’s outside courtyard alongside far too many of her fellow students, Luna simply awaited her name being called, her legs lightly jittering from pressure; “Aiko Murata”. Quickly regaining her composure, or perhaps it would be more accurate to claim she distracted herself with something else, the woman focused her attention on the platform ahead and the pupils who had luckily been summoned before she was; from what the girl could see this far away, they were tasked with creating and condensing a light sphere of reiatsu, an assignment laughably easy for someone in control of their spirit. “Hiroshi Ogino”; sadly, the task would prove gargantuan for her, who had no such mastery. Trying to think of ways to slip away unnoticed, even Luna’s usual trickery wouldn’t be enough to eclipse herself from these dire circumstances; on such short notice, should she disappear into thin air, the girl would nonetheless get called up and, once her lack of presence became known, she would simply end up having to redo it later, along most likely a slap on the wrist for her tardiness.

Besides, students seemed to get called in alphabetical order, which meant... “Luna Melrose”; knew it. Sighing deeply, the girl had to admit defeat, as there would be no way around it; walking nonchalantly up front, she gave a quick glance to the others gathered here and shuddered at the realization her failure would be witnessed by so many. Reaching their instructor in the foreground, she was admittedly pretty nervous, aware that this would likely put her into quite a few catch-up lessons to meaninglessly attempt a turnaround; for now, Luna just had to try her very best, and hope whatever she could muster would at least be enough to fly under the radar. “Hand forward, please. Form a sphere in front of you”; she did as instructed, slowly accumulating energy into her fingertips and attempting to form something, anything really, within the palm of her hand. This seemingly worked, their teacher even commenting on her results; however, the appraisal she was given didn’t bode well for the future... “What in God’s name is this?!”.

Materializing between them, a thick fog of silver spiritual power with lone bluish strands swirling around aimlessly inside its bounds began taking shape in front of the girl, sluggishly leaking her reiatsu into their surroundings. Whispers steadily increasing among the crowd, Luna knew instantly this was unsatisfactory; while it did manifest in some way, her spiritual energy had remained effectively formless and incohesive, embodying an unusable and harmless air-like shape instead. “Enough”; letting it all dissipate away, she closed her eyes and braced for the cold words she was sure would come next. “We will have to discuss of your results at a later date”; “Yes...”. Rather than a harsh scolding, she was met with mere disappointment, which admittedly felt even worse; nonetheless, at least the girl wouldn’t have to suffer through another humiliation on stage, which was good enough for now. Eyes downcast, Luna returned to her earlier spot, embarrassed by her performance... She could still feel the gaze of many and expected gossips to circulate due to this mediocre accomplishment.

Thinking back, she’d previously been negligent in her handling of this issue; she had thought, mistakenly perhaps, that her creativity would make up for this shortcoming and allow her to imitate similar results as necessary, but clearly there were outcomes she couldn’t replicate using any manner of tricks or deceit. Today had been eye-opening, teaching her a valuable lesson; Luna couldn’t stay idle anymore and would need to take matters into her own hands... “I need tutoring sessions”, she thought aloud. It made sense, given her abysmal results, to seek the help of her fellow classmates and, after this afternoon’s event, she’d have the perfect excuse to search for such assistance; fortunately, the current demonstration each student had to partake into would also provide a great chance for her to spot someone who might fulfill that role, and the needed rationale to approach them afterward. If she could prey on someone’s goodwill, the woman would surely improve her abilities; in exchange, maybe her own set of skills might prove a decent enough bartering chip?

Regardless, she first required a person with the necessary understanding of this subject above all, before considering what could be employed to get her way; there wasn’t any point trying to deduce what would be used to manipulate them without first knowing which incentives might tempt them to play along. Gradually glancing at the crowd, she wondered if such a person was even in their midst? Well, she’d have to adapt with whatever would present itself... Looking at the platform ahead, the instructor seemed ready to continue with their proceedings, and so the next name on their list was called, one she didn’t know beforehand; “Matthew Hazeman”. Luna scanned her surroundings, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever that may be; she set her sight on any movement, assuming the one who next came on stage would be him. Would this unfamiliar student prove to be what she needed? Either way, this girl planned to scrutinize his performance thoroughly, eager to discern all she could from it.

[Matthew Hazeman]

Matt would be simply standing stock still in his designated position, towering over a great many of the other students. With the wooden oni mask on to fully conceal his face, it would be easy to say that the man was quite intimidating to the average person. However, beneath all that masked stoicism, there was a sweating nervous wreck. Matt was not enjoying being surrounded by so many people. Class he could handle, but a big open thing like this, with people just milling about? This was just awful. And so, he would focus on his breathing, trying his best to remain entirely calm as he waited for his turn to come.

Unfortunately for him, he became so focused on his breathing that he missed the first time his name was called. It was only on the third time that he would finally look up. He felt the anxiety in him rising, but he knew he couldn't just freeze. So he would slowly walk forward, making his way up onto the stage without a word. He would stand silently in front of the instructor until they finally spoke.

“Hand forward, please. Form a sphere in front of you,” the instructor said, his tone somewhat annoyed by the fact that he had been kept waiting. Matt would think for a moment, mulling over the words his instructor said. Then, he would raise up his hand, his palm flat up. Then, with essentially no delay, a ball of light would form, perfectly spherical and about the size of his fist. Then he lowered his hand, letting the ball simply float there. The entire time, he would stare straight ahead over the instructor's shoulder, not saying a single word. Not looking at someone helped his anxiety quite a bit, and allowed him to keep his mind off the fact that everyone present was staring at him.

“Well done, if slow to respond,” the instructor said, nodding. “You are excused.” Matt would once again take the time to process, before giving a wordless nod and walking off the stage. He would take a measured and controlled walk to some nearby seats, and set down a ways away from anyone else. Once there, he would resume his breathing techniques to remain calm. Then, a thought came to him. He had never dismissed the orb, and it had just been floating there for everyone to see. Quickly, he would focus once more, and the reiatsu orb would go out like a light being turned off.

[Luna Melrose]

...

“Matthew Hazeman”.

...

...What? Did the student just skip their evaluation, or something? Whatever the case, he hadn’t shown himself for either of the two earlier callouts, a fact that seemed to displease the instructor quite heavily; unsurprisingly, that led to a fair bit of chattering among the student body, looking around and wondering whether this hotshot of the moment would actually show up. Deliberating on what to do here, the teacher gave him another callout, louder now, most likely the last he’d get before having to face consequences for his absence; “Matthew Hazeman!”. Scrutinizing the crowd, Luna attempted to spot signs of unusual movements, trying to uncover the owner of this name and their current situation; she also paid attention to where others were looking since someone surely would recognize him if the man was within the crowd, their gaze pointing right at the one this callout was for. That logic seemed to pay off as, whichever the reason, many had their eyes set on this one peculiar-looking man.

Inspecting him closely, what stood out first was the ornate wooden mask, quite elegant might she add, that adorned the man and covered his facial features; while that might’ve confounded someone else due to how out of place it would seem in an institution like this, Luna paid it no particular heed at all since she had effectively spent centuries alongside Bark Face, a man who had been doing the same thing his entire life. Combined with the student’s considerable height, it frankly gave her the impression of a bulky guy, the kind who’d inevitably do well with physical hurdles; did this mean he wouldn’t be what she was looking for, then, a student who focused on tangible pursuits instead of the immaterial results Kido could offer? She’d soon find out, it seems, since her assumption had seemingly been correct, this man was indeed Matthew; he got up and silently made his way to the stage up front, soon about to demonstrate whether his control over reiatsu would be satisfactory.

Now ahead, a resounding silence awkwardly permeated the area; given the time it took for him to reach their site of evaluation and the reserved attitude he still had once arriving there, perhaps that was to be expected. Having a clear unobstructed view on him allowed Luna to soon realize the reason why, however; that man was under heavy stress... It wasn’t easy to spot, especially from so far away, but the student’s robotic body language betrayed his mindset; moreover, it felt like his actions were following a tempo, the pattern of which caught this girl’s attention nearly instantly. Evidently, he wasn’t very confident in his Kido abilities... Or, perhaps, it was due to something else? Looking attentively, the woman couldn’t understand much of what was being said from this far, but nonetheless understood the instructions had been given to him once he raised his arm; what caught her eyes next left her dumbfounded. A dazzling, perfectly spherical orb appeared before them, even levitating in place once he withdrew his hand.

What was he even stressful about?!? That was amazing!!

A few parting words and a nod afterward, the man began heading back toward the crowd, leaving room for the next student to perform their demonstration of spiritual prowess; keeping her eyes firmly glued on him, she took note of the new position he had taken among the audience, and the fact it was secluded from everyone else. While she didn’t realize it immediately, Luna did thereafter notice the soft glow of the light he had inadvertently left behind, and soon saw it disappear into thin air firsthand, a feat even she couldn’t admittedly comprehend; it was an unknown, and anybody who knew Luna could guess what this meant for her... “Matthew Hazeman... You exceed my expectations”, she softly murmured to herself. Assuming he was willing to help her out, she’d make great use of these skills to learn more and properly train her own; and, if he wasn’t, Luna could prove... extremely persuasive, whenever she needed.

Taking the initiative, the girl did something unthinkable... She got up, and went directly to Matthew; hey, nobody said she had to stick to her assigned seat, right? Or~, maybe they did, it’s not like she listened... Nor really cared. Approaching him, she kept her voice low to avoid disturbing those around, trying to also stay in his good graces; “Hey. I saw your performance just now; it was impressive!”. Taking down the hood she wore so it’d sit on her shoulders, innocently smiling to seem inoffensive and approachable enough, Luna casually sat down next to him, trying to remain non-confrontational while doing so. Looking forward, she nonetheless kept focus on the one next to her; it was doubtful he’d notice, however, since the woman would remain inconspicuous about it, seemingly watching the next few evaluations instead. Her gaze temporarily downcast, the girl appeared conflicted; “I’m not sure if you’ve seen mine, but it was horrific in comparison... or, by any other standards”.

Brooding and moody, she would most likely seem particularly miserable to him, especially given that the rest of the students had no glaring difficulties with this exercise at all; she exaggerated these sorrowful emotions of course, trying to social engineer feelings of pity within him. After all, the devious Academy student had goals on her mind and, if Matthew felt inclined to play along because of this, she’d do what it takes to get him on her side... Anything it’d take for her schemes to work. “If I’m honest, I need a tutor... And from the looks of it, you’d be the best choice for that role”; shifting her position slightly to both face each other somewhat, Luna gave him an amiable smile, her eyes seemingly very welcoming, conveying no pressure at all to the young man... That’s because she made sure to act this way, adjusting her own body language to calm him down and try to avoid the stress he’d felt earlier, whatever its source, unknown still to the lady, might’ve been.

Lifting up, she began walking toward the way out, the last demonstration having just now finished; but, she did not do so without first addressing him once more, hoping her request would not fall on deaf ears. “If you aren't too occupied, I'd love your help to try and figure this out~; some advice from a pro”; Luna gave him a friendly, playful light nudge as she said that last part, expecting it would help establish some rapport between them. “I'm not sure what I could do for you in return”, she continued, “but I'll gladly do you a favor~!”. Reaching a fork in the road, she turned around and now faced him fully, needing an answer before she’d know which of the two paths to take. Hopefully he wouldn’t need further convincing, in which case she’d gleefully invite him to follow; or, perhaps he’d take the initiative? Only time would tell... Either way, the conniving trickster realized she had clumsily forgot an important step she should’ve taken early, in this whole scenario.

“I’m Luna, by the way; Luna Melrose. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”, she said, finally introducing herself properly.

[Matthew Hazeman]

While Matt was taking his time to calm down after his complete blunder on stage, it seemed someone was more than willing to come in and harsh his already unsteady vibe. Some woman was just coming up and sitting next to him. It was absolutely one of the worst things that had ever happened to the man. He hadn't even been staring at her! At least, he was pretty sure he hadn't been staring at her. Oh god, had he been staring at her? He had, hadn't he?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Of course, all of this panic was internal, with the mask hiding his obvious look of concern. The fact that he was stock still while staring directly forward at the stage probably could even come off as intimidating to some. Despite all of this, the woman would talk to him, saying that his performance was far more impressive than her own. Matt had to admit, she did seem rather beaten up by all of that. And then the woman said the magic phrase, the best way to ensure you could wrap Matt around your finger.

"I can help you," Matt said, before the other woman nudged him. He would flinch some at that, subconsciously rubbing at the spot she touched. "B-b-but maybe please don't touch me? It, uh. I do not like it. It makes me... uuuuuhhhhh.... Uncomfy? But, uh. It's not too hard to manage. Unless, like, uuuuhhhhh... I dunno, maybe you're like the folks who have their reiatsu just really attached to your body? Like, it's sorta like if people are flexible. Even if you're not great at it at the start, so long as those.... Errr.... Foldy bits are working, you can get 'em to a good enough level."

[Luna Melrose]

What a cryptic man; at every turn, it seems he would stubbornly defy expectations and react outside her predictions. Even now, she had a hard time understanding the temperament of the one before her, truth be told; Matthew remained completely unfazed, not even a hint of movement, as if he’d just become a marble statue... Had he even heard her, she wondered? His actions now contradicted his earlier behavior, a fact that bothered the woman greatly; predictability was an absolute must for scheming, after all. Luna initially thought he might’ve been a perfectionist, someone who prioritized results over anything else and considered being just slightly under a perfect score as something to be ashamed of, but that profile didn’t match anymore; no, it was like the stress she’d previously witnessed was an ever-looming curse for this man, following him wherever the circumstances might lead. What was it, then...? Just what might push a person to this level of anxiety, she pondered? The girl had not a clue.

Scrutinizing his every move, the female student wanted to comprehend Matthew, to unearth everything that made him joyful or tense, or seemingly react any other way; that’s why, she kept an attentive eye on his movements and mannerisms when she approached and addressed him, mindful of signs that might reveal his true nature. His mask preventing any glimpse at his facial expressions and giving not the slightest clue about his emotional state, she instead relied on the subtle body language he would exhibit, now and then, to dig further into the subject; for instance, the sentimental turmoil she’d tried to provoke had bore its fruits in the man’s heart, seemingly showing small signs of discomfort at her delivery of the poor display she’d made during her performance. His silence and frozen poise were uncanny, however, sending a chill through the woman’s back; she’d need to break the ice with him before thinking of her next move, which is why Matt’s reactions held such significance right now... Something, anything at all, would help establish some semblance of contact between them.

Soon, that desired feedback was received loud and clear; “I can help you”, he proclaimed at her request. Following these words, Luna’s eyes instantly lit up, a fact possibly misinterpreted as exhibiting gratitude when, truthfully, she was simply cheerful to have gotten any words at all out of him; unfortunately, her parade would soon be rained upon, since she had already made a major mistake while interacting with Matthew. “B-b-but maybe please don't touch me? It, uh. I do not like it. It makes me... uuuuuhhhhh.... Uncomfy?”; swiftly realizing how serious this was for him, Luna quickly tried to make amends. “S- Sorry~!”, she said while bowing down apologetically, an attempt to smooth things over and avoid undesired consequences; internally, her mind was racing, trying to figure out what hid behind this reaction. Why did physical contact cause such backlash for the young student, who even seemed to flinch instinctively from her touch? Was he perhaps the recipient of physical abuse earlier in life? Whichever the case, she took mental note of his aversion and wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

Without skipping much of a beat, Matt continued with a lengthy, albeit abstract explanation; “But, uh. It's not too hard to manage. Unless, like, uuuuhhhhh... I dunno, maybe you're like the folks who have their reiatsu just really attached to your body? Like, it's sorta like if people are flexible. Even if you're not great at it at the start, so long as those.... Errr.... Foldy bits are working, you can get 'em to a good enough level”. Tilting her head slightly, Luna would appear quite confused at first, trying to grasp what he meant; she quickly caught on, however, that this was about practice. Just like keeping one’s body in a healthy shape, the spirit’s capability to manipulate its own spiritual power was tied to its continuous usage, pushing one’s limits further in every attempt; she understood that much, but... “Got it~, so... I just have to keep working on it? That’s a relief... ! Sayy~, if you have nothing better to do, would you mind monitoring my progress?”; extending her arm ahead of them, the girl gestured toward a large, open training field.

Now that she’d begun scheming, Luna wouldn’t quite let Matthew walk away this easily!

In fact, whether he’d realized or not, the two had long left the fork in the road behind, this girl having instead led them down a path to a secluded area located in the opposite direction from the Academy itself; now that he’d followed her here, the man had lost all pretense to claim he had any other plans at the moment, and would surely have to play along. Besides, Luna had another trick in mind to keep him around, one which would make great use of her womanly charms... Spinning around to face him directly, she put on her best, most pitiful puppy eyes, lower lip lightly twitching while looking Matthew straight in the eyes or, rather, the eye sockets of his mask; “...You will, won’t you~?”. Careful not to involve physical contact during her little maneuver to avoid repeating the former backlash, it would certainly prove plenty effective nonetheless; the young lady began wielding a devastating weapon, known to rend men asunder without a trace left of them.

Now looking at his mask directly from up close, there was something about it that felt... off, although the trickster couldn’t quite put her finger on what; leaving that aside, she remained immobile while calmly, silently awaiting his response, confirmation she hoped that he would indeed entertain her idea. Given their height difference, the man frankly towering over her, she thought the stratagem would come across as endearing rather than intimidating for him, and sought to strike him as being alluring and captivating; “Since we’ve got time to kill, why don’t we practice together?”, the girl solicited. Soon moving toward the center of the field after pleading for the man to remain here, Luna’s focus was set on attempting to bolster her control over reiatsu; the young woman flexed her pressure somewhat while trying to materialize it and replicate their earlier assignment, an obvious consequence of her inexperience with spiritual tasks... “Am I doing this right~?”, she soon asked, seeking to affirm that she was on the right path.

[Col Arana]

On request to grade due to abandonment, I count 27 paragraphs here.

135 TP is awarded to the participants.