open.

[ex_savor573]

Who: Ken Kaneki savor and you.
What: New nerd on the block.
When: 4/8
Where: Various locales.
Warnings: He's a nerd...

I. Library
[If anyone here knew him, it would be no surprise that Kaneki finds his way to a local library without much delay. After the bizarre nature of his first day here, the smell of old books lining cluttered shelves it a comfort. It's only been a couple of days, and the circumstances remain difficult to absorb still yet, fantastical in their nature and hard to apprehend.

So for the moment he focuses on the small boon of getting a fresh library card, and thus access to any books he might take interest in. It was still a challenge to hold a librarian's attention long enough to attain the card, but he's learned from Shun's example. Grab attention and give suggestion.

And so with this ticket to all the literature he can carry, Kaneki wanders from one bookshelf to another, pausing here and there to him at titles. He's quick to pick some old favorites, a motley assortment of Hesse, Kafka, and Hakushū, tucked under one arm as he makes his way along]

II. Park
[With a collection of books to delve into and review, Kaneki finds a quiet spot in the park to read. The fresh air in the near shore does him some good, distancing himself somewhat from the world he's just become a part of, and the thoughts that come with it. First a ghoul, now a god...it's rather surreal.

Passers-by might see him hunkered down under a tree with a book propped against his knees, entirely absorbed in printed word. A small stack of books is stationed close at hand beside him, titles spanning various genres and attributed to Japanese and European authors.

It's clear he's quite absorbed in this, making no sound but the soft crinkling noise of old pages turning]

III. Temple
[Kaneki never imagined having a temple before, and standing a short distance from it among vibrant red foliage out of season, he's still having trouble accepting that it's his. Nevertheless, he's supposed to be Kuebiko, and this is Kuebiko's temple. Agriculture and wisdom...he wonders if it's a humorous remark on his name, or something else entirely.

He wanders the ground, supposing he should familiarize himself, eventually stopping at the threshold. Folding his arms across his chest, he hums quietly, Despite outward appearances, the building's interior is much more spacious than should be possible, something he doesn't quite understand.

At the moment, though, he's occupied with a different sort of question]

Should I...decorate, maybe?

[Did gods do that? He wishes his introduction to this system had been a little more thorough, but if he's supposed to be the next holder of this title, should he personalize the place? Or maybe, he's not supposed to do anything at all with it...hm]

Comments

[ex_savor573]

Oh, um... [He's surprised, as much plain on his face as he blinks owlishly at her] Not...not really... I've always thought you need a lot of friends for that sort of thing.

[And who'd want to read what he has to say, anyhow?]

[talkbirdytome]

No way! That's the sort of thing you start with only a few friends!

[She says with confidence even though it's a subject she knows nothing about.]

That way when you get really popular those friends can brag about how they were into you before you were cool.

[ex_savor573]

[People bragging about knowing him... Imagine such a world.

Kaneki can't quite picture it, and his hesitance isn't masked very well, but it's a nice thought all the same]

I'm not sure I'm the type that'd be popular... But it's nice talking about books with other people. I don't get to do it very much.

[talkbirdytome]

Really? Well if you're not into the blog idea, why not start a book club?

[There's gotta be lots of people who love books around here.]

I'd join.

[ex_savor573]

You think people would want something like that...?

[Kaneki has never been one for clubs and group functions. That was an arena that had always been left to Hide, who always seemed to do so much better with lots of people.

Even so, the idea of having people to discuss literature with is...nice...]

[talkbirdytome]

[She giggles. He seems so baffled by the idea that it's kind of cute.]

Why not? I just said I'd join. Lots of people like to read, don't they? And everybirdie likes to talk about stuff they like.

That's kinda what clubs are for.

[ex_savor573]

[Everybirdie... He focus lingers on that for a beat, but he doesn't linger on it for long]

The way you talk about it... Maybe you'd make a better club leader than me.

[Hiyoko sure puts it in appealing terms, and her personality is so much bolder than his, so he has to think she'd be best suited]

[talkbirdytome]

I don't think so. The leader of a book club should be somebirdie who is good at understanding complicated books. And that's sure not me.

[Wisdom-1, Charisma-5, Vitality-800. She has no illusions about her abilities.]

[ex_savor573]

Don't you think there's something to be said for charismatic leadership?

[He doesn't think he possesses a charisma stat...]

[talkbirdytome]

Oh, definitely! One of the birds I know back home is really good at motivating people.

[Hiyoko agrees completely. She doesn't see herself as the leader type though.]

Which is weird because he's so rude all the time.

[ex_savor573]

I think people really respond to it when somebody's confident, or seems like they know what they're doing...

[So...basically things Kaneki is sure he isn't]

[talkbirdytome]

Huh... You know that actually makes a lot of sense.

[Sakuya is hardly friendly, but he does everything with such confidence that everybirdie just falls in line. That must be nice.]

I guess successful leadership is more about attitude than actual ability.

[ex_savor573]

Ability's surely important in the long run, but...

[He trails off, debating how to articulate this]

I think, if someone knows everything they need to, but isn't confident, it's the lack of confidence they respond to.

[talkbirdytome]

[She giggles.]

So a smart guy might be ignored while everyone follows an idiot? I guess that's politics for you.

[ex_savor573]

Yeah, sometimes it turns out like that.

[Kaneki couldn't have said such a thing so directly himself, but...he doesn't think she's wrong. If someone seems like they know what they're doing, people can get taken in by that]

[talkbirdytome]

So maybe the best thing would be to have a smart guy and a charismatic idiot working together.

[She leans back to watch the clouds in the sky.]

The smart guy could make the decisions and the idiot could just boss people around.

[ex_savor573]

That could make a balanced team, I can imagine...

[Although surely one doesn't have to be an idiot to be confident, Kaneki's not the sort to argue about details]

[talkbirdytome]

I don't think I'd want to be either of those guys though. Politics is way too complicated.

[ex_savor573]

That's true... I think that sort of life would be pretty stressful.

[talkbirdytome]

Tell me about it! I'm lucky I can handle my own life without having to make decisions for everybirdie else.

[ex_savor573]

It'd be a lot of pressure, on the kind of scale politicians operate on. I'm not sure how they do it.

[talkbirdytome]

Me either.

[After a moment, she leans back and stretches.]

Buuut that is more than enough political analysis for one day. It's too nice a day for that.

[ex_savor573]

You're right. It's...really peaceful, today.

[So much more serene than that business at the school was]

[talkbirdytome]

[She nods, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere for a moment.]

So what kind of temple did you get? Mine is pretty impressive. Much bigger than my glorious abode back home.

[ex_savor573]

Mine's um... It looks a little small from the outside, but it's more spacious than I expected.

[Having lived in a one-person apartment for years, even if the place was as small as it first appeared, it would've been more space than Kaneki was accustomed to having]