bakerstreet | ( picture prompt meme )

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[One would think, considering how remotely Uranohoshi is located when compared to the other schools out at the city, with exams and autumn events over, and winter holidays round the corner, that the school's administration would have little work to do during this period.

One would think wrong.

Even Dia, who is just a student, is so inundated she has taken to spending her lunch breaks and hours after practice in the student council room, battling seemingly endless stacks (stacks, always never any smaller volume) of all manner of paperwork.

The first-year and second-year members are occupied, themselves, working on the PV and production of Aqours' first Christmas-themed single.

And Mari, involved on both ends, plus matters for Hotel Ohara...well.]

I'm amazed at how you can find anything when there's so much... ["Clutter" is an understatement which hardly describes the disaster site that is the writing table at the director's office. Despite Kanan's best efforts, every time she drops by to pick Mari up for their shared trip home, the mess looks like it has expanded since she saw it last. Undeterred, she takes some arch lever files, one by one, balancing them on her arm.

There are no words.] So much.

[ Immersing herself in work is something Mari quite enjoys, most definitely so when it's work she's invested in. She loves this school, and she loves Aqours -- and so there hasn't been a peep of complaint from her, even as her pile of paperwork began to form a small skyscraper. ]

Don't worry, I have a system! [ She claps her hands together chipperly, then parts them to point at a neon green file balanced on Kanan's arm. ] I'm going to need that one, actually!

[ Mari's determined not to fall behind. Not on school, or work, or Aqours. When Mari's determined, there's very little on this Earth strong enough to stop her. Makeup hides dark circles well, and she's already in the habit of drinking about five cups of coffee a day. She's got this! It's all good.

... She doesn't want to fall behind on her time with Kanan, either. But there's that PTA meeting right next week, and then the school's Christmas celebration where Aqours will get the stage to perform, and then there's the field trips to start planning, and...

Mari smiles through a bit of a sigh, apologetic: ] Sorry, but could you go on ahead today? There's a few things I still need to wrap up!

[The whole exercise is a tad too Jenga-esque for her tastes, though she does manage to retrieve the green file and set it onto the table again, without the others on top of it falling off. There we go.]

Nope, I'm not leaving. [Plaintive. Matter-of-fact.

The line might have worked on her the first few times. And really, she understands it's not her place to decide Mari's schedule for her, concern notwithstanding, so she hasn't objected to going back on her own. Not until today.] At this rate, you'll be snowed in. Or you could miss the last ferry.

[Files stored away, she gets on arranging the other papers and stationery. A clean workspace leads to better work practices, see. Why else would she keep at such a nigh-Sisyphean task all the while.]

Wh-- [ It takes Mari a second to realize what she's doing, and then-- ]

Hey! Kanan!

[ She swats at Kanan's wrist, keeping her from picking up the next piece of paper. ] This is my duty as director! And besides, if you put stuff away like that I won't be able to find it!

[ She was dead serious about the system, let there be no doubt. Mari flourishes in mayhem! ]

Stuff like... [Peering at the paper. Her eyes, narrowed, are in striking contrast to her increasingly higher eyebrows.] An application to form the "Society for Prevention of Cruelty by Kurosawa Dia"?

[Wow, a copyright claim is soon to come for this one.

"Faculty in charge: Ohara Mari". "Signed and stamped by: Ohara Mari". There are stickers. Okay.]

Just how bored were you?

[ Mari blinks down at the paper, and then breaks into laughter. ] Oh! Nice! I was wondering where that one went!

[ ... A mostly functional system! She grabs the paper and holds it in front of her, nodding in admiration of her fine handiwork. ] It's a crucial document, you know. Someone's got to put a stop to her reign of terror!

I'm sure Dia would say the same of you. [Now she can't help but wonder what other such applications are lying around here.]

Anyway, it's not as though you need all these at the same time. [With Mari's attention diverted, she can return to where she left off.] I didn't even really move anything, I just put them into piles.

[Or did Mari knock the piles over again each time she tried stacking things up? That would explain a lot...]

[ Yeah, she's dismantling those piles as fast as Kanan can make 'em. As if anything with Mari would be that easy, pff. ]

No, No, No! Piles are no good, Kanan! You can't see what's on the bottom! [ The most effective solution is to spread the paperwork all across your desk, clearly! ] And in the first place, a lot of these papers are highly confidential!

[ Like... lots and lots of inane bureaucracy, and about a dozen pages of aimless doodles... Regardless, Mari seems pretty intent on shuffling everything back into a state of chaos before Kanan can make any progress. ]

[Were Kanan to have studied formal business theory, she could point how the mess defies probably anything Mari's parents would want her to learn from an experience in a Japanese workplace.

Alas, she has not, and can raise no argument beyond what she already said. Sigh.]

If I can't help with organizing the space... [The sheaf in her arms is placed on the last remaining clear spot on the table. Please let it stay there.] Pass me stuff I can work on.

[Two pairs of hands are always better than one, in any situation. Right?]

[ Seeing Kanan relent, Mari settles somewhat -- only for her cheeks to puff out at her next words. Stubborn as ever, huh... well, she wouldn't be Kanan otherwise. ]

Won't your family get worried if you come home late? In this weather, too...

And yours won't?

[Is it because Mr. Ohara is away that Mari doesn't mind staying back at school...all the more reason to keep her company.]

If they hear that I left you here on your own, then they'd really be worried.

[ Mari's lips purse at that, just slightly. It's not like it'd be anything out of the ordinary, no -- her parents are busy people, and they know she's got her own responsibilities to tend to. She could laugh and say "it's different for me, silly", but the way Kanan's looking at her right now...

She doesn't really want to.

With a needlessly loud, dramatic sigh, she flomps down into her massive office chair. It rolls back a bit with the force of it. ] Ah, I give in! Your concern has touched my heart too deeply to refuse! [ She kicks her feet against the floor, spinning the chair around once, before scooting herself closer towards Kanan. ] Do you really want to help me that badly?

[Eyebrowing again.]

Duh. [Was that ever in question, she thinks, her eyes remaining on Mari. It doesn't quite occur to Kanan how intent she comes off right now.]

I mean, there must be at least some things too menial to warrant coming all the way to this level.

[ ... Alright, Mari can't help but smile at that. She does feel guilty for keeping her up, but with Kanan so earnest about it-- who is she to say no? ]

Well, since you insist-- I can think of one thing! [ And she shuffles aside in her seat, patting the cleared space. It's a really big chair! ... but ultimately still built for one human, so while the two of them could reasonably fit on there, it's going to be a bit of a squeeze.

Mari appears utterly unperturbed by this as she smiles up at Kanan, all expectation. Go on, then! ]

Really now.

[So she says, even while slowly, cautiously, climbing into the proffered area on the chair. It is indeed cramped -- their elbows are sure to knock against each other when Mari is writing, and if not for her essentially perching on the edge as Mari is further inside, the seat won't hold them both.]

I'd tell you to find a secretary for the kind of work I was talking about... [Half-leaning on the armrest to support herself, she's almost speaking into Mari than at her.] But this is harassment, you know.

[ Mari waves a dismissive hand -- the one away from Kanan, mind -- and clicks her tongue. ] It's skinship, skinship! And besides, I was just starting to feel a little bit chilly when you came, so this is perfect. Practically Destiny!

[ Humming brightly, she reaches back for the mess of papers blanketing her table. A moment's hovering, and Mari snatches up three in succession, followed by her pen. There's budgets to calculate... hardly the most stimulating part of the job.

But Kanan's close, and warm, and that's nice.

Mari's eyes are on her papers, pen scratching away a scribbly string of calculations -- but the mild airiness to her voice makes it sound, oddly enough, like that part's the distraction. ]

Mm... tell me something.

Focus. [It's. Something. A prod at Mari's temple follows, to stress on the point.

For a glorified chair accessory, Kanan isn't making herself very useful. She adjusts herself to allow a better view of the papers, skimming over the numbers as they appear.

Wouldn't be much of an issue if extra or less funding went to their own club, that can always get sorted when they discover it, though if budgeting for another club goes wrong, the problem is far more troublesome to handle.]

I'd like to actually go home sometime today.

[ Mari's head tilts a bit at the prod, and her nose crinkles, but her eyes stay on the paper and her hand barely pauses. Over-energized and all over the place as she may be, once she settles into her work, she remains rooted surprisingly firm in it -- which is why she feels confident enough asking: ] Don't be stingy. Listening to your voice helps me focus.

Yeah, right. [Flattery, if she's ever heard any. Still...the idea's far from unpleasant.]

After all the mixing it's gone through recently, I'm beginning to forget how my voice sounds like.

[Not intended as a complaint, either -- on an end product, ready for audiences, the person singing might well be someone else. Riko is a wizard.]

I'm being se~rious. [ The way she sing-songs it might be less than convincing, though.

That remark gets her to raise her head for the first time, shooting Kanan another expectant smile: ] Why don't you sing now, then? It'll be a good reminder!

Edited 2016-10-16 09:21 (UTC)

Now?! Acappella? [There's an audible wavering and change in pitch between syllables, even as she sputters. The tight space is the only reason she hasn't fallen right off the chair.] I'm -- I'm not prepared...

[It's embarrassing, to sing without any backing... (ฅฅ*)]

My, that's quite the reaction! [ Her eyebrows hike up about as far as they can go, and she's sure to sound extra stunned, just in case Kanan could stand to be a little more embarrassed at the moment. ] We've sung in front of each other plenty of times before, haven't we?

But -- but -- [aksdljh

aaaAAAAAAAAAA why is this happening] That was in recording! And on stage! There was accompaniment!

Just...do your work already!

[Forced into a corner, she can only fall back on this.]

[ Mari blinks, as if only now recalling her looming mountain of paperwork, and stops to consider this. ]

... Ah, no good, my focus is all gone! ☆ It's absolutely impossible for me to concentrate without Kanan's beauteous singing voice!

i am a slightly indecisive person

let's try 1 and 5 and add whatever suits as and when, I say with only somewhat less indecision

o9

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