Will she or won’t she? Ryu - tag Delia

[Ryu Kobayashi]

At least the sun was shining. Small mercies. Ryu’s morning had been beyond boring. So boring, in fact, he’d drifted to sleep in art class, only to be woken when the sensei slammed his hand down on the table next to Ry’s left ear. Luckily he’d escaped detention but he had a feeling his card had been well and truly marked. The next time it happened - as he knew it would - he’d probably find himself being kept behind after school.

He sprawled back against the tree he’d mentioned to the girl at his locker. So far there was no sign of her. More than likely she’d had no intention of meeting him... Either that or she’d forgotten about it entirely. He peered into the paper bag his mother had pushed into his hands as he’d left home that morning. Sushi... Not too shoddy! He scooped out a piece and ate it as he waited... and it was only then that he realised he hadn’t a clue what the girl’s name was. Nor did she know his.

He glanced across at the main entrance again as he ate...

[Delia Victorino]

Delia hadn't really had any intention of showing up to meet him. The only reason she'd considered it at all was because he'd had the balls to ask and that had sort of impressed her. But the more she thought about it, the less likely it seemed. She'd been temporarily insane. That's all.

However when it came time for lunch, the cafeteria was really crowded. Today was the big football game and everyone in the school was acting as if it was the was the most exciting thing that ever happened. Maybe the water fountains were laced with something she thought darkly, knowing that this was highly unlikely. It was fun to think about it anyway...what it would be like if something like that happened...all the students walked around drugged...

She wasn't about to wait in that long of a line for what she'd already discovered to be sub-par food so she headed outside. She'd go off campus and get a sandwich or something. She headed outside, not really thinking about that guy that she hadn't even caught the name of, when she saw him leaning against that tree, just like he said he'd be.

It surprised her that he was actually there but she just kept walking anyway, only to stop a moment later to take another look at him as he opened up his lunch bag. She let out a small sigh and started toward him, even though she wasn't completely sure why. She stopped in front of him and placed her hand on her hip. "So you actually showed," she said simply.

[Ryu Kobayashi]

Ryu reached for another piece of nori-encased sushi and popped it into his mouth. He was currently sprawled back against the trunk of the tree, one booted foot lifted and against the bark as well. His expression left no room for doubt. It screamed. back the hell off and leave me alone'... A warning everyone seemed to be heeding... Everyone, that is, barring the one. He lifted his scowl from the paper bag when he heard a voice.

"So you actually showed."


Ryu face cleared... for the most part... when he recognised her as the girl from the lockers earlier that morning. "I didn't think you would bother either," he replied and he moved over a little so that she could share the tree if she felt so inclined. That said, the bark was exceptionally rough and she probably wouldn't want to lean up against it.

"Do you have lunch?" he asked. "Or are you going away from the school grounds?" Was that even permitted? And since when did that fact bother Ryu Kobayashi? He might not even bother returning for the afternoon classes!

"I'm Ryu," he provided. "What's your name?" Might as well stop referring to her as 'that girl'... right?

[Delia Victorino]

"I didn't," Delia said quickly when he said he didn't think she'd bother either. "Yeah, I was heading off grounds to get lunch, saw you here and I dunno..." she said trailing off. Delia didn't really know the official rules on leaving the school grounds for lunch either but she'd seen enough other people do it that she was pretty sure that it was okay.

"Ryu," she repeated when he offered his name. "That's interesting," she said as it was something that she'd never heard before. She still wondered where he was from but didn't ask. "I'm Delia," she said simply as she tucked a strand of her long dark hair behind her ear.

She glanced at his lunch, finding it sort of odd. Delia was no stranger to sushi but it seemed like an odd choice to bring from home, mostly because there was nowhere in school to refrigerate it. Or maybe there was a fridge for students to use. Delia was too new to really know. "Are you eating sushi?" she asked, even though it was obvious that he was, "Where'd you get that? Is there a sushi place near here?" she asked. "I'm kind of new...don't really know my way around so much yet," she admitted.

She pretty much knew her way around her neighborhood now since she'd been in LA since the summer but as she'd only been attending this school for a few days now she still wasn't 100% familiar with it all yet. She knew there were places nearby to get lunch but she was sure that there were plenty more that she didn't really know about.

[Ryu Kobayashi]

He glanced down at his lunch. "Yeah... Wanna try it?" he offered. His bento was one designed for lunch and travel, meaning it had a section for an ice pack. That said, none of the sushi was raw. Smoked salmon and vegetable with some omeleete completeing the last few pieces. Ryu held the box towards her. "Its nothing nasty," he added, knowing some people weren't too keen on the sashimi side of Japanese cuisine. "I brought it from home but will check around this weekend and see if there's a sushi bar nearby as I would like some tako or unagi but wouldn't risk them after a few hours in my locker!"

He pushed himself away from the tree. "I am also new," he told her. "This is only my second day. That means we can leave and we can both claim we were unaware of the rules if we are caught and reprimanded. Come on..."

He nudged her towards the entrance, holding the bento towards her once again. "So... brave enough? Or do you prefer to stick with your safer lunch?" he taunted.

[Delia Victorino]

"Sure," Delia said. She took a piece and plopped it into her mouth. It was good sushi, she'd give him that. Delia probably hadn't tried most of the super crazy types of sushi but she'd had her fair share of odd things. She tended to like the sushi better than the rolls although she wasn't a huge fan of the sushimi because she liked having some rice with it as opposed to just eating a piece of raw fish.

"What are tako and unagi?" she couldn't help but ask when he mentioned them. She was aware that she only knew the American names even though most of the things she'd eaten before had other names written next to them as well sometimes. "Unagi sounds familiar..." she added, knowing that she'd at least seen that one written somewhere before. What it was, she had no idea though.

"Yeah, I doubt anyone will even notice," she said as she watched him get up, saying if they left and got into trouble they could claim they didn't know the rules. It was true of course, but she doubted it was necessary. If the rule was you couldn't leave there would probably have been some preventative measure keeping them from leaving. Easy as that.

"Well, I was about to leave and get lunch before coming over here, so I'd say I'm still brave enough," she said, mocking him slightly (she couldn't help herself) but walking along with him anyway to leave the school grounds.

[Ryu Kobayashi]

"Tako is octopus and unagi is eel. I like them raw. The suckers on the octopus stick to your tongue." Of course they didn't really but grossing her out seemed fun! "Ok... good... then we will escape..."

They left the school grounds before either of them could change their minds... and also before anyone could run out and stop them! Other kids were leaving but Ryu knew they were seniors. More than likely juniors weren't premitted to leave but as he didn't know what year Delia was in that didn't seem to matter.

"What were you going to get for your lunch?" he asked as they headed away from the main gate. "I don't know what can be found around here but there is a food court in the main shopping mall. We could try there if you like?" He was fine as he had more sushi but a drink would be welcome!

His curiosity finally bettered him. "What year are you in?" he asked. She could easily be a senior but then she could also be younger than him...

[Delia Victorino]

"Ew," Delia said simply. She had tried octopus once and no such thing had happened but maybe it was cooked. Like she knew she'd had eel before, it was actually one of her favorites because the sauce they put on it was absolutely delicious. However, she knew for a fact that it was always cooked. She didn't even know that it was possible to order it raw. "I think I'll stick to the cooked kind if that's the case," she said simply.

"Yeah, let's do it," Delia said although she doubted very much that anyone would even notice their 'escape.' It was a typical public school and it seemed as if not many people paid attention to things like walking right off the grounds in the middle of the day. "I didn't really have a plan," she added, "I was going to just walk around till I saw something, but a food court is probably good. That will have lots of options," she commented as they continued to walk.

"Oh, I'm a junior," she told him when he asked, "what about you?" Delia couldn't remember seeing him in her classes, but still being new, it was possible that she couldn't remember everyone just yet. It was a big school after all.

[Ryu Kobayashi]

"Junior also," replied Ryu. So she was the same age? Maybe this wasn't as awkward as it might have first apepared? Perhaps even he'd get a date out of it!

Stranger things had happened... right?

(wrapped and thanks, Cheryl!)