<div class="floatleft">(http://oi67.tinypic.com/30rp8i0.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Shizuma Nori (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=257738.msg12729551#msg12729551)<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Cafeteria<br/><strong>Time:</strong>Flashback - a few days before school starts, a little after 7am<br/><strong>With:</strong>Taro + Open<br/><hr/><br/>Shizuma had chosen for herself a light meal of toast made from the bread the kitchen staff makes her win the Academy, marmalade, a mandarin orange, a small blueberry yogurt and a steaming cup of black coffee. She followed Taro back to their table, smiling happily as things just felt right and easy to her, a feeling long absent from her life. "If because of the company alone, I know I will," she said without really thinking about it. On a deep, unconscious level Taro had established himself as 'safe' in her mind and heart, so she didn't feel the need to be so reserved and guarded with him as her smile mirrored his as they ate together.<br/><br/>Shizuma giggled as Taro spoke modestly of his command of Swahili, but said nothing to interrupt his tale. Her smile grew as he spoke of reviewing textbooks to keep his knowledge fresh in his mind, finding something adorable in that notion and the fact that she found someone else with a habit she thought was hers and hers alone. Her estimation of him and his family only grew when he spoke of their plans to see the world together and that they changed them in order to help him when he needed it most. She reached out to press her hand on his arm comfortingly as he spoke of his unhappiness as a boy and at the same time took responsibility for it. She marveled at his maturity and the wellspring of strength and courage he was. When he shared how he and his parents did things that helped others around the world she was beyond impressed and finally found her voice.<br/><br/>"You truly are an inspiration, Taro," she said in a voice rich with respect and adoration. "To take your situation and completely turn it around like that," she went on to say, shaking her head in the kind of disbelief that is really pride in another's accomplishments. "Not many people do that, nor do they learn so much about themselves and others." She sips her coffee to keep from devolving into full on fan girl mode then smiles at him warmly. "Here I wouldn't have left Harajuku were it not for being sent to the Institute," she says wryly as she makes a light-hearted joke about her situation.<br/><br/>Shizuma let the silence grow between them to let Taro enjoy where ever his thoughts were taking him and used that time to finish her toast and yogurt then peel her orange. She pulled the unpeeled orange in half then slipped off a section of it. She held it out to Taro as an offering asking, "Would you like some? They smelled so sweet I couldn't leave it behind."