I could change my life to better suit your mood

[seems_fishy]

At this point, Flayn was really just bored.

Chin in hand, elbow propped on the balcony railing, she gazed down at the early dusk creeping across the city. She looked carefully at every light in the distance, and mused to herself if that was where her friends were just then. The plans were to meet up, the boys' club and the girls', and start seeing who could be a good doubles pair and while Flayn was very excited by seeing who would be chosen, she really just wanted to spend more time with her new friends. Who got to play for the mixed double exhibition was really just another thing to talk about, but it didn't have to be the only thing. There would be clothes, and the food, and what someone did in class, and what someone else did after class...

She never noticed how often her father wasn't home weekend nights until she actively wanted to go out for them herself. He wasn't enjoying himself at all, of course. He tended to come home rather irritated by who needed him, which served him right, yes, but didn't solve her problem.

Honestly, she saw the logic of him not wanting her gallivanting about town while his availability was dubious, but she highly doubted he was seeing the impracticality of such a request. Or the mounting unfairness.

She was busy formulating a plan to redirect.

If she wasn't allowed to go out, could she invite someone in?

The details were unclear. The problem would be showing him that it was okay to say yes. She was still working on it, but had every hope of success.

She sighed, still looking out across the city. Perhaps if Father came home to find a friend already there, and nothing had gone wrong...?

Comments

[volleygenius]

[It's a nice picnic. The food is good and so is the company. They talk tennis and doubles mostly, but if a few errant pieces of gossip or personal information slip in, well. That's just how conversation is.

Seeing as he's sitting across from Flayn, it would be difficult for him to not notice her approaching father, but the reality is, however surely he can feel that displeasure emanating off of him, he simply doesn't feel nervous. They're not doing anything wrong. It's a lovely afternoon to sit outside and have a picnic and talk, and his body language reflects as much.

Interesting that he knows him by name, though. He doesn't remember meeting the new headmaster yet himself. He looks up from where he sits, perfectly unbothered and just innocently puzzled at the man's suggestion.]

Hm? Why?

[Flayn hops up before anything further can be said. Marui thinks at this point, he should probably stay out of the conversation and let them figure this out.]

[seems_fishy]

[Why indeed.]

It was very rude of us to have to change everyone's plans at the last minute.

[Especially if the conjecture was correct, and Aya and Nami were mainly thinking of her as the candidate to begin with!

Seteth frowned.]

"I don't know at all what you mean. Things come up, it has nothing to do with anyone, and a little flexibility is something that even high school students need to learn."

"Please do not be disingenuous," Flayn said patiently. "Just because something came up for you, that doesn't mean it has to affect me so strongly. You're very quick to answer your cell phone, are you not? Everything would have been fine to begin with."

"You can't know that, Flayn," and he wanted to support that with evidence, he really did.

"No more than you knew something disastrous would happen," she said. "I know you had a very long day, and I'll be happy to join you in a moment, but as all of my friends were kind enough to modify their plans to accommodate us, this interruption is rather bad form."

She took a deep breath. Maintaining her composure was difficult, but paramount. She could see him having the same internal talk with himself about that. The audience was a little bit of a godsend, in that regard. The stakes were higher.

Seteth sighed. Something in the way he looked at her, she thought she saw a break in the clouds on his face, and his voice softened.

"Flayn, I'm not sure you understand where I'm coming from."

"I do, though," she said earnestly. "But now isn't the time to discuss it; you know as well as I do."

That was a dismissal, wasn't it? He wasn't used to that from students or his own child, but they'd already caused enough of a scene and-- he was tired. It was a long day.

The door closed behind him.

[volleygenius]

[Marui, increasingly aware of how awkward it was for him to be present during what was very much a family-only discussion, did his best to give them what privacy he could in focusing his attention on other things. If nothing else, it would help them save face. He checked his phone and traded a couple of texts with Aya while munching on a few of the remaining food items until the voices seemed to peter out and he heard the sound of a door.

He missed the content of the discussion through this self-distraction, but his ears still registered the tones and volumes and the conversation's flow. Flayn was leading it. It was kind of cool of her, being able to manage her father's unease so efficiently, even if it makes him a little sad for her at the same time.

He looks up and offers an understanding smile.] Time to clean up?

1/something will come back to this later

[seems_fishy]

Do not mind him. Yes, please.

[She's a little distracted as she packs things back into the baskets, folds up the blankets, and hands them all back to Marui-san.

But it passes and she smiles apologetically.]

I shall see you in school and then we can really get to work!

[She can hear something like tea implements in the kitchen, and she goes straight to her room, not really wanting to go back into the fray. Plenty of homework to get through before she wants to deal with that again.

She's steadily working through it when the tap comes at the door. There's a patient silence while she discards a few more petulant ways to answer it.]

"Come in," she sighed.

There's an answering sigh before the door opens, and she can see Seteth placing his last few thoughts in order.

"I'm not angry with you," she says preemptively, hoping that puts a few more things into place for him.

"Well... you have a right," he said. "I would not be angry with you for being angry at me, right now. Or... any time recently, if I am being honest."