vxnilla
skin of your teeth !
橋本清
hashimoto kiyoshi
From the moment Ravyn accidentally splashed him and then yanked his shirt off of him in her attempt to help, Kiyoshi should have known that the day would hold very little of the relaxation that was promised him.
That could have been handled — not as gracefully as he'd like, sure, but it could have been handled. Although he suspected that perhaps Ravyn's intentions were not as altruistic as she might be pretending, they ultimately didn't come from a place of malice, and, well... he'd been meaning to get to know his peers better, anyway. And if that bonding came from him stumbling all over himself because he wasn't used to baring that much skin (which was in of itself a benefit anyway, since clearly he was in the minority, with choosing to forego the swimsuits entirely), then so be it. He could make it work.
What he doubted his ability to make work, however, was the entrance of a hostile trio of students, which he caught behind Ravyn's shoulder. "It's so clingy and uncomfortable though! Plus, how are you going to enjoy this peace in the pool still in your uniform?" she was saying, and he was torn between dividing his attention between what she was saying — flustering, at the best of moments — and the potential threat behind them both. Even Kiyoshi, predisposed to giving the benefit of the doubt when he could, felt something uneasy settle into the pit of his stomach — a feeling that was only validated when one of them cannonballed into the pool, splashing him and Ravyn alike.
Well. At least his shirt was already off? Small mercies.
Ravyn, quick to respond, was already hurling insults at the offender. While he admired her pluck, Kiyoshi also moved to stand in between the redhead and Brutus, in case the other boy chose to respond violently. For his part, he said evenly, drenched but composure intact, "This is not a private pool. Some awareness of the people around you would do wonders, I imagine."
That could have been handled — not as gracefully as he'd like, sure, but it could have been handled. Although he suspected that perhaps Ravyn's intentions were not as altruistic as she might be pretending, they ultimately didn't come from a place of malice, and, well... he'd been meaning to get to know his peers better, anyway. And if that bonding came from him stumbling all over himself because he wasn't used to baring that much skin (which was in of itself a benefit anyway, since clearly he was in the minority, with choosing to forego the swimsuits entirely), then so be it. He could make it work.
What he doubted his ability to make work, however, was the entrance of a hostile trio of students, which he caught behind Ravyn's shoulder. "It's so clingy and uncomfortable though! Plus, how are you going to enjoy this peace in the pool still in your uniform?" she was saying, and he was torn between dividing his attention between what she was saying — flustering, at the best of moments — and the potential threat behind them both. Even Kiyoshi, predisposed to giving the benefit of the doubt when he could, felt something uneasy settle into the pit of his stomach — a feeling that was only validated when one of them cannonballed into the pool, splashing him and Ravyn alike.
Well. At least his shirt was already off? Small mercies.
Ravyn, quick to respond, was already hurling insults at the offender. While he admired her pluck, Kiyoshi also moved to stand in between the redhead and Brutus, in case the other boy chose to respond violently. For his part, he said evenly, drenched but composure intact, "This is not a private pool. Some awareness of the people around you would do wonders, I imagine."
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Nano