paint the sky back to blue ;; OPEN

[Jodie Tanaka]

Day 2. Met a few people yesterday. This one guy's name as August, and he seemed nice. Invited me to sit with him in the cafeteria sometime. Comforting. Didn't sleep last night, just lied in bed and starred at the ceiling until my cellmates were awake. Pretended to be asleep until they left. Outside now. All I can see is gray, cloudy skies. Not very comforting.

[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote][/center]

A small, Japanese girl sat against the backwall of Michigan State Institution, a spiral bound notebook closed on her lap. About two weeks ago, Gina and Anthony Tanaka decided that the therapy and medication weren't doing anything for their daughter. One week ago, they had decided that staying at home wasn't doing her any good. Two days ago, Jodie Tanaka had arrived at Michigan State Asylum. About a week ago was the last time she slept, actually slept. She may have dozed off for fifteen minutes the night before, but awoke abruptly.

The petite girl sat by herself, against the stone wall that bordered the back of the Institution, longing for company, for someone to talk to. She didn't care who they were, or why they were here, or what was supposedly "wrong" with them, she just wanted someone there. She just wanted a friend. She'd only been here for two days and already, the loneliness was getting to her, and that was one thing she couldn't stand.

Jodie sighed, absent-mindedly flipping through the pages of her notebook. It wasn't like she was secluded or anything, sitting out here. Someone was bound to walk by sooner or later, and when they did, she really hoped they were talkative. She didn't even feel like talking, or have anything to really talk about. She was perfectly content to just listen, to whatever it was, no matter how ridiculous. People could come to her and insult her for being Asian and she would prefer that to sitting by herself. The longer she was alone, the more prone she was to having an episode, she'd discovered. Even if she was around people who she wasn't talking to, she had more control over her condition.

Sighing again, Jodie sat with her legs crossed Indian-style on the concrete, her midnight blue eyes gazing out towards the institution, still in disbelief that she was actually here, of all places. She could've been at home, in highschool, doing normal highschool girl things. But no, she had to get herself thrown into a crazy house. Oh well...she was here now, so she might as well try to make the best of it. She was generally good at making friends, but so many kids here her age seemed so anti-social.[/size][/blockquote]

[Katsuo Stride]

|

Katsuo had emerged from another counseling session a good half hour ago and was feeling pretty refreshed. He wasn't quite sure what number it was...He hadn't been in Michigan State all that long, so it had to be something less than his tenth session. His counselor was undoubtedly one of the sweetest in the entire place, and that helped. That, and apparently he had been making some progress. He didn't see any himself, but if his counselor did, that seemed good enough proof. In Katsuo's opinion, therapy was the mental equivalent of a long workout.

After the counseling, he'd taken a long, hot shower and just let the water wash away any of the stress he'd been feeling from it. The sessions took a while and usually had him tensed up by the end, so the water did him some good. Anyway, it gave him some time to think about how he'd been doing so far in Michigan State. And he'd decided he was doing fairly well. He was hoping that if he could keep it up, he would be allowed to go home soon.

Katsuo was hoping.
Because even the days when he did take his medicine, he had a hard time dealing with all the extra energy his ADHD gave him. He still had this mindset that Michigan State was the absolute wrong place for a person like him. People with ADHD did not do well behind bars. Besides, he was here for something that had simply been accidental, so however much of an education he was supposed to glean from this place seemed unrealistic.

Katsuo decided to go outside and let his hair air dry. He was pretty proud of his hair. That's why he had so much fun dying it outlandish colors and creating weird styles. But Michigan State was probably the furthest thing from a salon, and they definitely didn't have any hair product that was going to do him any good. So he'd just air-dry it. No problem. Anyway, it was fairly nice out and he hadn't gone outside all day. No point in turning himself into a vampire while he was here. He already got the feeling at times that he could go crazy in here if he didn't take care of himself.

Waltzing toward one of the side doors of the building, Katsuo stepped outside and took a deep breath. The air was perfect, not too cold, not too warm. It was really refreshing. He almost wished his cell with Tuesday had a window that could be opened.

"The whole building could use open windows, actually," he thought aloud.

Following one of the concrete paths from the door, Katsuo realized he was actually a lot more relaxed than usual. The shower had definitely helped. It was actually enjoyable just waltzing around like this, maybe because he felt a little freer than usual...He wasn't sure. Although it would have been nice if someone else was with him. He preferred company more often than not.

That was when Katsuo saw the girl sitting on the pavement.
His eyes actually widened in surprise, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling.
The first thing he'd noticed was that she was Asian. And he was pretty sure she was Japanese, like him. She was the first person, let alone girl, he'd seen in this place of Asian descent. He felt a lot less out of place at the thought. But looking at her sitting there, by herself, Katsuo wondered if she felt the same way, or if she was just shy. His roommate had avoidant personality disorder. For all he knew, she could too.

For some reason, Katsuo actually almost felt a little hesitant about approaching the girl. He wasn't even really sure why...He'd gone up to plenty of people he didn't know and started all kinds of crazy conversations. He had the urge to go up to her and just start blurting out Japanese phrases--he really wanted to know if she spoke Japanese too--but he made up his mind that was a little too out-there. No need to spook her. Anyway, maybe the fear of disappointment or rejection or something like that was finally getting to him.

When Katsuo was close enough to the girl, he slowly sat down next to her. Not too close, and not too far.

"Hi there." Katsuo paused. "You don't have avoidant personality disorder, do you?"

Might as well get the question out of the way. If this girl was anything like his roommate, he was in for a difficult first conversation. If not, she'd probably just wonder what the heck kind of greeting that was supposed to be. Katsuo couldn't help thinking how much more at home he'd feel if there was someone at Michigan State who had had a similar "former" lifestyle to him.

[Jodie Tanaka]

Jodie sighed, opening up her notebook to a clean page, and pressing her pencil tip lightly to the paper, making a few scratch marks. Blank pages bothered her. It was much easier to draw on a page that had a few scribbles or lines on it, than a completely blank, fresh page. All that whiteness was intimidating to her. Large canvases were terrible. She often had to put some random colour on it just to break up the whiteness, and paint over it later. The Japanese girl made a few scribbles on her page, before lightly sketching the outline of an eye. A realistic one. She was never one for drawing anime or manga. The style was difficult and nice and all, but so many people did it these days. She preferred to create her own style; one that couldn't be classified into a category like manga.

Jodie glanced up for a moment, then back down. She looked up again, as she thought she saw someone walking around outside. She tilted her head to the side, letting her bangs fall over one of her eyes. Lifting a hand slowly, she brushed the hair out of her face, trying to get a better view of the figure. It was a boy, she was pretty sure. The figure was too straight to be a female. Definitely a boy, she decided. With very, very straight hair. As the boy approached her, his facial features came into view, and she noticed some similarities. Jodie couldn't help but smile when she recognized the Japanese features in his face. She was almost positive that she was the only Asian around here. Well, she was half Asian, but she definitely looked more Japanese than she did Italian.

Jodie sat up a bit straighter as the boy began to walk in her direction, a smile on his face as well. Maybe he was friendly? She hoped so, at least. She'd been itching for a conversation, or a new friend. Anything, really. Maybe he thought it strange that she should be out here all by herself. She watched as the boy walked closer and closer to her. His hair was light, nearly blonde. She wondered if it was natural or not. Her hair was naturally very dark, nearly black. She wondered if his were naturally the same way, and how much bleach he had to use to get it to lighten and not turn orange. She watched as he sat down beside her, turning her head to get a better view.

Jodie was admittedly a bit surprised at the boy's greeting. But, she supposed his question wasn't out of the realm of possibilities. She was sitting against a cold, stone wall all by herself, with a notebook. "What? No, I don't," Jodie said, giving the boy a warm smile. She was normally pretty friendly, but she was a little intimidated by the other inmates in this place. She didn't really know what to expect from some of them. She only hoped that this boy hadn't done anything serious to land himself there. Either way, she was up for talking to him if he was nice to her. "Why? Do you?" she asked. Probably a bit of a silly question, since he had just approached her and greeted her, but she asked it anyway. Maybe he'd get a kick out of it.

[Katsuo Stride]

(ooc: Nice post--sorry I gave you such a mildew one last time! (><))

"What? No, I don't. Why? Do you?"

Katsuo shrugged.

"No-puh. No I don't." He shook his head and laughed. "I probably wouldn't be talking with you if I did."

At least she was smiling, Katsuo thought. If she hadn't answered yes or no, the smile alone would have confirmed she likely didn't have a fear of people. That was somewhat a relief for Katsuo too, because he was really eager to get to know her better. The girl seemed friendly enough, but he wasn't sure if she spoke Japanese, even though she looked full-blooded. Although he had never seen a blue-eyed Japanese girl before. Contacts, maybe? He wondered. Then again, he was an Asian guy with blonde hair. He had his artificial bits too...

Even though she was smiling, the girl seemed curious. Katsuo figured she was probably thinking something along the lines of, Who's this weirdo?, which was more funny really than anything else. And he couldn't really blame her for it if she was. He noticed the notebook on her lap and grinned. He loved artists.

"What are you drawing?" He leaned in to take a better look at the canvas paper. "It looks nice." Katsuo had never had much of a talent in art, not the drawing style anyway. He'd played a few instruments and he had his creative days, but he had never really been successful at things like painting and drawing. As a result, he was fascinated by watching those who did have that talent. It was one, quiet thing he could actually do. It was just plain...fascinating.

It dawned on him that perhaps the girl had come outside purposely to be on her own. To draw. It seemed like a lot of the artists here liked to work quietly and by themselves. Something about a muse or the like...Katsuo could never work quietly. And whether he was working on the world's next Mona Lisa or what, he would definitely be wanting people nearby.
Anyway, Katsuo knew that if it was the reason, the other Asian would hopefully just tell him to scram. He wouldn't mind. He was happy enough that he had found another Japanese person in the Institution. Even if their relationship had to be that awkward, it was still worth it.

"I am curious," Katsuo said honestly. He laid down on his back onto the concrete and shielded the sun away from his eyes with one hand. The girl probably thought he was invading her personal space, leaning so close to look at the picture. "And you can be honest, you know, if I am interrupting your work. It's what I tell everyone. And really, it doesn't bother me."

Katsuo gazed away from the sun and back at the girl next to him, extending one hand up from the ground for her to shake. "You need to know my name before you tell me off. It's Katsuo. And also, I am curious to know...are you Japanese? I've never seen a Japanese girl with blue eyes before."

[Jodie Tanaka]

Jodie smiled widely. She didn't think that the boy had that disorder. She had really just asked for kicks anyway. She felt her cheeks turn a bit pink. Jodie was just so glad that someone had wandered along and found her. Something about having another person around just made her a whole lot happier in general. She glanced over at the boy, noticing him seeming to take in her appearance. She was almost positive that he was Japanese as well, though he was probably 100%, if she had to guess.

The next few moments seemed to pass by very slowly. Jodie took in the boy's appearance, and he seemed to scrutinize her as well, until his eyes fell onto her sketch pad. Her instincts told her to cover up whatever she was drawing, but it wasn't much of anything, so she let him look at it. It was just a doodle page, really, so she was a bit surprised when he complimented it. Jodie smiled again. "Oh, I was just doodling," Jodie said, blushing lightly. He seemed impressed, but she couldn't really figure out why. It was just a few scribbles and the start of a sketch. Not anything near what she normally did when she actually sat down to do a piece of art work.

"Thanks," Jodie said, giggling for a moment. It was flattering, or maybe he was just easily impressed. Either way, the compliment was definitely nice to hear. She wasn't really used to compliments. All she heard at home was that she should be more like her sisters. It was nice, to be in a place where people didn't know her sisters. Where she was just Jodie and not Denise's and Carine's little sister. As much as she disliked being here so far, at least she was sort of her own person.

"I don't mind," Jodie shrugged. If he was that interested in what she was drawing, then he could look all he wanted. It was very flattering, really. She smiled a bit, as he leaned over to get a better look at her notebook. "It's nice to have someone to talk to," she added, looking over at him and smiling slightly.

"I'm Jodie," she introduced herself, after the boy had said that his name was Katsuo. Definitely Japanese, she decided. But his next sentence confirmed his ethnicity. She smiled a bit. A lot of people seemed to notice her eyes. They were blue, but not really a normal blue. They were a very deep midnight blue, and sometimes had a hint of purple in them even. Both her parents had brown eyes, so she figured that a grandparent down the line had her colour eyes or something, she wasn't too sure.

"I'm half Japanese and half Italian," Jodie started. "Both my parents had brown eyes though," she shrugged. "You're Japanese, aren't you?" she asked, looking over at her newly found acquaintance.

((OOC: Aww, don't be so hard on yourself :] Your posts are lovely.))

[Katsuo Stride]

(ooc: ;D Thank you--hope this one is better.)

"Well, they are nice doodles then. I could not even do that much." Katsuo didn't move from his spot on the ground, but he did pay his best attention to Jodie, meeting her gaze as she spoke.

"I'm half Japanese and half Italian," Jodie started. "Both my parents had brown eyes though," she shrugged. "You're Japanese, aren't you?" she asked, looking over at her newly found acquaintance.

Katsuo beamed. "Wow! Well, it is a very beautiful mix. Your parents must agree." He laughed. "But if it isn't too bold, I do not think you belong here in Michigan State. You do not seem the type. Especially not after some of the people here I have seen."

He paused, and his thoughts flickered briefly to his own roommate. This was the second time he was bringing him up. But it dawned on him that there were people in this institution who really didn't belong in it. He would still vouch for Tuesday if someone ever questioned whether he was capable enough to return home or not. Talking to Jodie now, he got no inkling that anything was wrong with her. On the contrary, the only thing that seemed wrong was the fact that such a pretty, talented girl had been taken from her average lifestyle to be stuck here. Katsuo had to bite his tongue to keep from telling her the reality of this place. He was pretty sure she was new. She at least seemed new to here.

He himself had only been in Michigan State for a matter of a couple of weeks, but it already felt close to a year. Many of the days he spent here were boring and repetitive. It was another reason why he was glad to meet Jodie. He wanted to spend more time to get to know her.

Katsuo tapped his nose knowingly, then winked. He realized he hadn't fully answered her question. "My family moved here from Japan some time ago. I remember my dad wanted to try a new lifestyle for our family. He thought it would be more prosperous."

Katsuo actually felt a little sad, thinking about his parents. He had forced himself to refrain from doing so ever since he found out he would be spending a lot longer a time in Michigan State than he had planned. It was better that way. He had never really suffered any serious depression in his life. On the contrary, he'd always been pretty happy, really energetic, and even in the worst of times, he could only ever remember being moderately upset or sad. Never anything serious. But he found that sometimes, while he was here, whether he took his ADHD medicine or not, things like thoughts of home could send him into a momentary type of depression it took a lot to pull himself from. Katsuo remembered his old doctor having asked him with each visit whether or not he'd been experiencing any mood difficulties. His answer had always been no. He didn't want Michigan State to change that.

Gah, what was he doing, focusing on dark things like that when this very pleasant girl was talking to him? Katsuo smacked his own forehead jokingly.

"Sorry, I got lost in some silly thoughts. Anyway, I picked up the English really well, don't you think? But I still have the heavy accent. That usually throws everything off when I'm trying to blend in." He chuckled. "I do have black hair, you know. And I didn't dye it this color to try to become a Westerner. I talk too much. Don't let me keep talking. Rip out one of those sheets of paper and stuff it in my mouth--that should do the trick."

[Jodie Tanaka]

Jodie smiled. "Thank you," she said, chuckling slightly. She was still a bit surprised that he was so impressed by just her messing around on paper, but it was a nice change. She'd have to keep in mind to show him some of her other artwork some time. If he wanted to, that was. She'd have to keep an eye out for him in the future. He shouldn't be too hard to miss. She hadn't seen any other Asian boys around here, especially ones with blonde hair. She blushed slightly when he complimented her mixed ethnicity. A smile flickered on her lips when he said something about parents. She never had any complaints about her appearance, except that she was pretty short, and didn't have the best body. She did like her eyes, though. Of course, she always occasionally that she was one of the pretty, tall, blonde girls that you always saw on TV. The typical beautiful American, but she had grown to accept that she was a tiny Eurasian girl that would always look like she was 15, and would always be that way.

But if it isn't too bold, I do not think you belong here in Michigan State. You do not seem the type. Especially not after some of the people here I have seen.

Jodie smiled for a moment, and then the smile faded. On the good side, she was doing a good job of hiding what was really wrong with her. And Katsuo didn't think she was completely nuts yet, which was also a plus. It was strange, the conflict she had. She wanted to get out of here, and to do that, she'd have to keep her bipolarity on the down low. On the contrary, the neediness in her wanted someone to know. Not just know, but understand and not think any less of her. It didn't make much sense, even in her own head. "You don't seem like the type either," Jodie said, looking over at smiling at Katsuo, letting their eyes meet again. She didn't really know what type he was referring to, but from what she'd seen so far Katsuo seemed...sweet, to put it simply. He wasn't shy about compliments. In fact, he didn't seem shy at all.

Jodie looked down at her notepad, tilting her head to one side, letting her bangs cover one of her eyes slightly. Since Katsuo had introduced himself on a whim, she was in a significantly better mood. It was the fact that she had company, and wasn't off sitting by herself, looking like a freak for not having friends. It was hard enough being the new kid in a high school, but in a mental institution? That was rough. She could make a friend, and the next day, they could be released, or be a completely different person. Nothing was concrete or solid in a place like this.

Hearing Katsuo's voice again, Jodie looked over, smiling a bit. That was cool, that his parents were actually from Japan. Her grandmother was the last one to actually come from Japan. Both her parents were born and raised in the USA, and so was she. Jodie did know a bit of the language, from hearing her grandparents speak it so much, but she wasn't anywhere near fluent. She just knew enough to get by, if she should ever visit Japan, which she did want to do eventually.

"I like your accent," Jodie giggled, before she could help herself. She really did find it endearing. Cute, even. She looked over at him, blinking. A little long-winded maybe, but she was glad that he was talking. She didn't mind at all if he wanted to carry the conversation. Jodie giggled again, smiling widely at him. "You can talk all you want. It's nice not being alone," she said, genuinely grateful that Katsuo was sitting next to her right now. It was definitely a nice change of pace from what she'd been up to earlier that day. The last thing she wanted to do was stuff a piece of paper in his mouth to shut him up.

[Katsuo Stride]

Jodie thanked him, and Katsuo replied simply, "No need to thank me for the truth." He was wondering whether she had done any more artwork since she'd gotten here. Or brought any more with her. He wouldn't mind watching her draw or paint or anything. In fact, he'd really like it. Watching others create art was one of the only times he felt relaxed, oddly enough.

Katsuo thought he saw something other than a smile flicker across Jodie's face, but the look quickly passed. Next thing he knew, she was smiling again. He chose to ignore whatever else she may have been thinking, though it occurred to him that maybe she was hoping for some peace and quiet. He wasn't exactly the right person to be with now, in that case.

"You don't seem like the type either," Jodie said.

Katsuo shrugged. He didn't want to say anything about his "type" because he wasn't sure what to think. He didn't know the right answer to poor Jodie's statement. He had never believed he belonged in Michigan State, but he was here, so obviously someone did.

Then Jodie told him she liked his accent. And, pretty much, that she was glad he was there.

Katsuo actually sat up when she complimented him. He was a little surprised. He'd always considered his accent to be a tremendous burden to have when living in the United States. It wasn't that he minded being unique or anything like that. On the contrary, even though he wasn't happy to hear a sound different than other voices surrounding him coming from his own mouth, he was proud of it. He was proud that he still had a part of his original heritage. There was just something about it being there all the time, maybe, that bothered him. But if Jodie liked it...

At least Katsuo's doubts about her wanting him around had gone away. She wouldn't have been so happy about his presence if she'd secretly been wanting him to leave. Actually, he felt kind of dumb having thought that in the first place. It wasn't like she had been giving him a single reason to think such a thing since they'd first met. He'd just conjured the thought up on his own.

Katsuo made a sly face and returned Jodie's gaze. "You are too nice, Jodie. You compliment my accent and tell me I can talk all I want." He laughed. "But if I keep talking, how will I get to know more about you? How old are you? What do you like to do? Aside from art, because that is obvious. You know, why are you here?" He looked skyward for a moment to see how the weather was doing, and sure enough, it was still pretty sunny. There didn't seem to be a chance of rain. If Jodie wanted, she could spend the rest of the day talking and Katsuo would listen. He was really curious. He did want to know more about her.

At the same time, he realized he was also curious if she spoke Japanese too. He had to admit, Michigan State would just have become ten times better if there was someone there he could converse in his native language with. He spoke it at home, of course, but he'd only been away from home for a matter of weeks and he felt like his former language skills were diminishing with each day that passed. He was relying on English here, and that was for obvious and plausible reasons. He just didn't want to lose a piece of himself in the process.
"I forgot to ask, but I am very curious...Did your parents teach you Japanese? It would be really nice if we could get out of Michigan State early, and you could come visit my home. We only talk Japanese there. My parents would be happy to meet you."

Katsuo realized he had gone on another little rant and closed his mouth. He couldn't the smirk that crept across his lips, though.

[Jodie Tanaka]

Jodie giggled again. She wasn't really used to compliments. Living in the shadows of her two older, perfect sisters, she wasn't used to being the one who was focused on. It was nice, for a change. She looked over at Katsuo, unable to wipe the smile from her face. "Um," she started, "Maybe sometime, if you want, I could show you some of my other stuff?" she asked. He seemed to really appreciate art, even if it was a few scribbles. Maybe she could get some good feedback from him if she showed him some of her more developed or finished pieces. She definitely had the surrealist style going when it came to actual drawings or paintings. Salvador Dali was her favourite, and she was also a big Escher fan. He was just so detailed and meticulous, with a pencil, nonetheless, that she couldn't help but be amazed by his work. She supposed that's what you got when you combined a mathematical genius with a great artist.

Jodie giggled quietly, looking down for a moment when Katsuo didn't respond right away. He seemed to perk up quite a bit when she mentioned liking his accent, and she was glad for the reaction. She knew some people were embarrassed by their accents, especially Asian ones, and a lot of people got teased for them. But she did, honestly, like it. It was nice to listen to something different than the normal American accent, which just sounded kind of lazy most of the time. She looked over at him, smiling shyly. She'd definitely have to write about him in her journal later. He seemed like the first person she'd met here who she could see being really good friends with. He had an interest in art, they had being Japanese in common, and he was ridiculously sweet (and cute, she had to admit).

You are too nice, Jodie. You compliment my accent and tell me I can talk all I want.

Jodie smiled a bit more at this. She simply nodded, shrugged slightly, and looked back over at him. She was naturally a nice person, at least she liked to think so. Most people would never expect her to be bipolar, or have any sort of disorder like that. In fact, most people were shocked if they witnessed her having an episode, or in a really foul mood. Especially her sisters, who had always viewed Jodie as the quiet artist type. But they didn't know her. And neither did her parents. In fact, nobody that she had supposedly been "close" to in her life really knew her at all. They knew one side of her: the happy, cheery, always puts others before herself kid. Nobody had ever realized how much she had going on in that head of hers. "I like when you talk," she shrugged, her words honest and genuine.

Jodie looked over at Katsuo, when he began asking questions about her. She smiled a bit, unsure how to answer some of them. Well, might as well be honest, the way she saw it. Katsuo seemed like he'd be pretty accepting, though maybe a bit surprised by what she had to tell him. "Um, I'm sixteen. Aside from art, I like writing a lot. Like, poetry and stuff," she paused, blushing a little. She got a little embarrassed when she talked about her poetry, and even more so when people read it. "And reading. I read a lot...mostly mystery and thriller kind of books, but I like anything with a good twist," she shrugged.

Now was the tricky question. Why was she here? She took a deep breath. "Umm...I'm here for a few things actually," she looked up at the sky, then down at her notebook. Jodie brought her legs up to her chest and hugged them. This was a little hard to talk about, but she thought she could trust Katsuo not to judge her. "I'm...um. I'm bipolar," she said, finally spitting it out. She took a few deep breaths and carried on. "Well, it started with insomnia, I guess. When I was like, fourteen...and I guess a year or so later I just kind of started freaking out," she said, her eyes growing a little wide at her words. "I'd be okay, and then I'd just get all pissed off for no reason. My parents didn't really help. After a few melt-downs, they sent me here," she shrugged again, and looked over at Katsuo, a little afraid to see his reaction. "What about you?" she asked, curious as to why such a nice boy would be in a place like this as well.

At his next question, she felt her mood lighten, and she smiled again. "I know a little...mostly from my grandma. I'm not completely fluent, but I do know a good bit," she said, nodding. She looked over, with genuine gratitude in her eyes at Katsuo, amazed at how nice he was being to her. "Aw...yeah, that'd be nice," she said, smiling. Glad to have the little bit of hope of 1.) getting out early and 2.) being able to stay in touch with Katsuo if they did. She looked over, at the smirk gleaming on Katsuo's face and couldn't help but smile back, and let out a small giggle.

[Katsuo Stride]

(ooc: Meh. Sorry to make you wait this long! (><))

"Um," she started, "Maybe sometime, if you want, I could show you some of my other stuff?"

Katsuo sat up, beaming. He wouldn't have expected Jodie's offer. Most artists preferred their solitude when they worked--he knew that. The fact that Jodie was asking him to take a look at some of her work...Well, he greatly appreciated that. He'd only known this girl for a matter of minutes, but he already liked her a lot. And it wasn't just because they shared the common bond of nationality. She was very sweet. Katsuo knew a good number of girls from Michigan State, and none of them had seemed quite so kind. But judging by what she had said before about being glad to not be alone, he guessed Jodie didn't have that many friends. That seemed annoyingly unrealistic. How was it that the nice people in Michigan State didn't have many friends?

"I would like that a lot," he finally answered, bobbing his head. "If it is not too, uhhh, troublesome for your work. You could make a hundred mistakes though, and I would not know the difference." He shrugged. "I am not the least bit an artist." He decided to shut up once she started explaining more about herself. It's what he'd been waiting to hear.

As she talked about herself, Katsuo grinned. Jodie sounded like an interesting person, and very artsy. It was great. It was a kind of lifestyle he'd always aspired to but failed at. He'd always liked the idea of reading thrilling books or writing something intense. He wanted to be able to get into that kind of stuff the way he'd heard adults say they could when he was younger. But he had a lot of trouble keeping himself focused. He could only read a book for a few minutes--however good it was--before his concentration gave up on him and his mind craved something else. He was a lot better with movies. He could usually sit through those fine, if they weren't too boring. Yet he was as aware as the best English teacher that he would learn the most important things through reading. He also wanted to ask Jodie about her writing--it was another kind of art, in a way--but he didn't want to interrupt what she was saying. He'd talked enough.

"Umm...I'm here for a few things actually."

Katsuo felt bad asking almost immediately. Jodie's gestures suggested she wasn't exactly comfortable saying what she was about to. He wondered how many times he had done this to other people, bothering them to know things that maybe was personal and relevant only to them. He lowered his gaze to the ground beneath them, wary that staring at Jodie as she spoke might seem rude.

"I'm...um."

Katsuo tensed. Was it that bad? Was she some sort of axe-murderer or something? He supposed it was possible...Sometimes the sweetest-seeming people could turn out to have done the worst crimes.

"I'm bipolar. Well, it started with insomnia, I guess. When I was like, fourteen...and I guess a year or so later I just kind of started freaking out. I'd be okay, and then I'd just get all pissed off for no reason. My parents didn't really help. After a few melt-downs, they sent me here. What about you?"

Katsuo waited until Jodie had finished, then he raised a hand to his heart, mocking shock. "Whoa...Jodie, you scared me there. I thought it was so much worse..." He laughed a little. "It seemed so serious, I thought you would say you were a former serial killer. But bipolarness--no, wait...bipolarity? Whatever it is, that is nothing bad. I mean..." He scratched his head. "...I don't think so. It is not intentional. You are not a bad person, because it isn't like you asked to be born with it."

On the other hand, he had done something wrong. Maybe not 100% intentionally, but he had still done it. And now Jodie, thought admittedly rightfully, wanted to know his reason for being here. For once, he wanted to shut up and say nothing in response.

"Uhhh." Katsuo decided that staring at the ground was most comfortable at the moment and inwardly urged himself to speak. He owed it to Jodie. He couldn't expect to not give an answer when she had.

"I am here for a very dumb reason. And I thought I would be out sooner, but..." He shrugged. "It isn't the case."

He took a deep breath. He needed to stop being selfish and just say it.
"I got in trouble because I accepted a dare at a friend's party. It was to spray paint a message on a well-known law firm building. I thought I would get away with it, I was almost done writing, when suddenly two police officers showed up." He paused, remembering the moment well. Every time he recounted the story, it was as if he could live the whole thing over again in his head. "I don't know why I did it, but I started running. When I ran into one of the officers minutes later...I...attacked him."

Katsuo wasn't telling the whole truth there. The police officer had come after him first, but the reason why he was in Michigan State was because he had touched the officer at all. It didn't matter that he had been scared, that he hadn't been thinking. He had attempted to harm an officer, for whatever reason, and that was the purpose for him being in Michigan State. That, and his counselor insisted that he was also in the Institution to combat his daredevil nature.

Katsuo finally got himself to look up and shrugged again. "It is a very dumb reason, I know. I made mistakes I regret. When I think about them, I do not know why I ever did those things."

He smiled suddenly. "I am rambling again."

[Jodie Tanaka]

As Katsuo perked up, when Jodie offered that maybe he could some time take a look at her art, she couldn't help but warm up inside. She blushed slightly, surprised at how flattered he was by the offer. She definitely wanted another chance to hang out with him. She had only known him for a short amount of time, but so far, she liked him. A lot. And sharing her artwork seemed like the perfect opportunity to get to know him a little bit better. She was extremely glad that he had accepted the offer, and seemed pretty excited about it. "Oh, it's not trouble-some at all," Jodie shook her head, smiling. It was quite the opposite, really. She may be a little embarrassed about how he'd react to some of her artwork, but she didn't think that he would mock or judge her because of it. Some of it was a little morbid, almost, and not many would expect that kind of a side to a girl like Jodie.

Jodie giggled a bit. He was really too hard on himself, saying that he wasn't the least bit artistic. He obviously had an eye for art, and enjoyed looking at it, so he was at least a little bit artsy. She blushed a bit, when she was finished with her little blurb about her life. She tried her best to focus on the other person, more than herself, so it was rare that someone heard this much about her in one sitting. She usually let people form their own opinions about her, and decide what kind of a person she was based off of those opinions. But, since Katsuo had asked, and seemed genuinely interested, she decided to talk for a bit. It couldn't hurt, right? Nothing majorly personal. Just a few hobbies, and interests. Maybe one of those would spur up another conversation point, if they had something in common that she had mentioned. She smiled a little bit, looking at the ground shyly, hoping that Katsuo wouldn't think any less of her after she told him about her disorders. She wouldn't go into much detail about them yet; it was too soon for that kind of a discussion.

She smiled, her lips quivering a bit, when Katsuo said she had scared him. It was natural for someone to assume the worst possible situation for why a person was in a place like this. She was glad that he took it so lightly, and recognized her disorder as a condition, which she didn't have much control over. She shrugged, though. It was serious, just not as serious as he had expected. She looked over at her new friend, with a warm smile on her face. "Thanks..." she said, looking down at the ground shyly, her cheeks turning slightly pink once more. She was surprised, at how accepting Katsuo was, right off the bat. She only hoped that it wasn't because he had done something much worse than have a few meltdowns that his parents didn't want to accept. He seemed like such a sweet boy, and she didn't want to think any less of him because of a mistake he had made. Well, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Jodie turned to look at Katsuo, as he explained why he had been sent here.

Jodie kept her dark blue eyes focused on Katsuo as he told his tale. It wasn't at all as bad as she had expected, from all he had hyped it up, and she was glad for that. She smiled a bit, but frowned occasionally, at the times when it was appropriate. So he had succumbed to peer pressure at a party. What teenager hasn't? Sure, he had paid for it in the long run, but it could've been a whole lot worse. He could've gotten seriously injured. Assaulting a police officer was a very serious crime, and he was lucky that he had gotten off easy.

Jodie shrugged slightly. "It's okay to have regrets. That's what makes you a better person in the long run," she said, looking at the ground for a moment. "As long as you learn from them," she added, looking up at Katsuo with a smile. Jodie had her own list of regrets, but she did her best not to dwell on them too much. It wasn't worth it. What happened in the past happened, and you couldn't go back and change it. All you could do was try not to make the same mistakes multiple times. "Thank you," Jodie said suddenly, "For being so nice to me," she added, looking at the ground to hide her blush.

[Katsuo Stride]

Jodie seemed nonchalant about Katsuo's situation, and he was grateful for that. He liked her a lot though. His reasons for not wanting to share his story were justified. He didn't want to lose a very possible friend because she thought he was capable of hurting her.
Looking back on what he'd done, he couldn't even believe he'd been capable enough to attack a cop in the first place. If only he'd been thinking that way at the time...

"It's okay to have regrets," Jodie chimed in. "That's what makes you a better person in the long run. As long as you learn from them."

Katsuo nodded. She had it right. And he had definitely learned from them. He was beginning to wonder if there was more to it than that, if she was saying that kind of thing, not only because it was true, but also because it was relevant to her specifically. But then he just started wondering why'd he'd been acting so skeptical of everyone lately. Once upon a time, he would never question what someone told him was the whole truth. Then Michigan State had happened, and every little thing he heard went through an annoyingly in-depth analysis in his head. He had no reason to question Jodie like this. Her next words almost seemed to continue to prove him wrong.

"Thank you," Jodie said suddenly. "For being so nice to me."

Katsuo saw her turn pink and look away, which was surprising.
"Ehhh?" He scratched his head again. "Why would I not be nice? Has someone here been not nice to you?" He tried to weigh his options there. He wasn't an imposing figure, not in the least, so it wasn't like he could successfully approach someone if they had been troubling her. And he had no idea where Jodie could go if she was being bullied or mistreated. The guards certainly would do nothing about it. Then again, he realized he'd found her here, at the Backwall, which was notorious, he had heard, for much of the bullying that went on in the building. Thankfully, he didn't see any potential bullies out now. But if Jodie came here all the time...

Katsuo ran a hand through his hair. Poor Jodie... If he found out she was being bullied, he would be upset. There seemed little he could do, but...well, the injustice of it all would be overwhelming. Why would anyone need to pick on her? Because she was smaller than them? Katsuo was pretty small and he knew he was a good target for people, so the fact that Jodie was even smaller could not help. He wondered, could it be because she was Asian? Naahh, he was too, and even though he was ten times odder than she was, he hadn't yet experienced anything racist. The people in Michigan State had problems, but he had not met any who classified as racists, of which he was grateful.

Then again, he realized he could be getting ahead of himself just in general. Maybe Jodie just hadn't met anyone else yet. He couldn't be sure anything bad had happened to her until she responded. But in the meantime, since he was obviously making things so dismal...

Katsuo turned the girl's way. "Jodie..."

He tried to feign seriousness. "I want you to paint me like one of your sketches..." He mocked the Kate Winslet pose from Titanic and finally couldn't stop himself from laughing. "But actually, I am afraid the paper might tear itself up if I ever did that kind of picture."

[Jodie Tanaka]

Jodie looked down at the ground, the gentle breeze blowing her bangs around her face. For the first time in the pas two days, she had been sort of glad about where she was. Maybe she had gone through years of insomnia and severe mood swings for a reason. She only hoped that this place wasn't as bad as the connotation of the word "asylum" gave it. So long as there were more sane people around here, like Katsuo, Jodie would be fine. She just had to make some more friends. She had met August the day earlier, and he seemed okay, though she wasn't sure why he was here, which made her suspicious. And now she had met Katsuo, who seemed perfectly friendly and sweet, and she definitely hoped that she could hang out and talk with him again. It was nice, to feel like she was making a new friend. It made her happy about how easily she felt like she could talk to him already, even only after knowing him for a few minutes.

Jodie glanced over quickly, and then turned her attention back to the ground. She shrugged. Everyone so far had been okay to her, she hadn't gotten pushed around or teased much. It was actually a lot nicer here than it had been at home for her, with her parents constantly pressuring her and hating the fact that she wasn't her older sisters, and thinking that she would never amount to anything. Jodie hid her face, not wanting to concern Katsuo more than she already seemed to have done. He was too nice of a guy; she didn't want him to worry about her. She didn't want anyone to worry about her, which was one of the reasons why she didn't like this place already. People were constantly looming over you, wondering what was wrong with you, if you were going to have a meltdown anytime soon, and what they could do to help. Help, was the key-word. If Jodie had a meltdown, and you just left her alone for a while, that helped. Maybe not in the way that they wanted to "help" her, but she saw it as help, and that's what should matter. What the patients want, how they want to be helped. No one should have "help" forced on them. Then it wasn't really help at all. It was just a nuisance.

Jodie shrugged again. He was right, why wouldn't he be nice to her? He was obviously a sweetheart, and was probably never not nice to anyone. But still, she felt the need to thank him for just sitting there and talking to her. The asian girl looked over, smiling a bit. She straightened her back a bit as Katsuo looked over at her, meeting her blue eyes with his brown ones. She tilted her head as he said her name, hesitating a little bit. At his next move, Jodie couldn't help but laugh out loud. She had seen the Titanic, but personally never enjoyed it as a lot of other girls seemed to. It was a decent movie, yeah, but she was never a fan of romance-type "chick flicks". Jodie calmed her laugh down to a giggle, her face red from laughing. She wasn't sure how to respond to him, but at least it had lightened the mood, which she was irrevocably grateful for.

Smiling, Jodie looked down at the ground inbetween them. She liked this. Sitting, and talking with him, and even joking a little bit with him. In such a short amount of time, they had both a serious conversation and a slightly goofy one, and she was comfortable with both. She only could hope that she'd be lucky enough to run into him again sometime after they parted ways today. "I'd like to draw you sometime," Jodie said, smiling up at Katsuo. He had nice features in his face, and it would be interesting trying to capture his charm on paper. It'd be a fun little project, though, if she could pull it off. She never did a whole lot of portraits, or drawings from life, but she always admired artists who could, and she thought Katsuo would be a good subject for that. "If you want me to, that is," she quickly said. She wouldn't want Katsuo sitting there for her, completely still, while she attempted to draw him if he wasn't comfortable with it.

[Katsuo Stride]

(ooc: My muse got run over by a truck. (><) By the way, I feel like Katsuo might end up falling for her!)

Jodie's reaction was priceless, and infectious too. Katsuo forced himself back up into a sitting position and laughed along with her, then began drumming his hands on the concrete for some extra entertainment. He always liked to be doing something.

"I'd like to draw you sometime," Jodie said, smiling up at Katsuo.

His eyes widened. "Honto ni? Really?" He scratched his head, trying to imagine what that whole event would be like. He wouldn't mind watching Jodie do art, he knew that. It would be the one time he could really relax. He really liked watching art being made. But...being the subject of the art? Hm...Katsuo wondered if that might be pushing it by his standards.

"I do not know if I could sit that still!" Katsuo told her honestly. "And I don't have any blue diamonds...and I can be a little shy. No. Very shy. Very, very shy. See how shy I am now?" He laughed. "If I did it, I would be moving a lot, so I might ruin your picture. You would have the Picasso-style portrait by the end. Arms coming out of faces and stuff like that. It'll be really cool."

Katsuo wasn't sure when his mind started wandering, but the next thing he knew, he was thinking about an escape from Michigan State. He wasn't serious about it...at least, he didn't think he was...But imagining joining a group of his closest friends here at the institution in an attempt to escape suddenly seemed thrilling. Technically, the people he had befriended at MS so far didn't deserve to be here anyway. Their reasons for escape would all be pretty justified.
But he tried to clear his thoughts. He couldn't tell if he was willing to do it for that exact reason or merely for the thrill. If it was for the latter, he'd better go see his counselor again soon.

Katsuo hopped to his feet. "Jodie, do you like the anime TV shows? I think the American dubbing is kind of funny..." He made a face, then shrugged. "I wish there was a TV here to watch all the anime shows. Or a camera. And we could make our own." He hesitated, then, "Actually, want to go to the music room? I always wanted to try one of the instruments..."
He paused again, then grinned whole-heartedly. "You know, I am around you and suddenly I feel very creative. Are all artists this influential?" Katsuo offered Jodie one of his hands to help her to her feet, if she intended on joining him.

[Jodie Tanaka]

Jodie giggled a little bit, looking down at the ground. She nodded. Katsuo seemed a bit surprised when she said she would've enjoyed drawing him. She shrugged. If he could sit still, then it could be a nice sketch. A lot of people were a little anxious, having to sit in one spot for that long, but they normally relaxed a little bit. Though, Katsuo did mention having ADD or something. She shrugged. He seemed flattered by the offer, at least. She giggled a bit, when Katsuo started talking about how "shy" he was. She looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. He clearly wasn't shy, seeing as he had just marched right over to her while she was sitting by herself, looking like a complete little loner, against a cold stone wall. She laughed again, as Katsuo did the rambling thing that he seemed to do quite often. She didn't find it annoying, though. Kind of endearing, actually, like his accent. She couldn't imagine why people had made fun of him in the past for having an accent. She thought it was kind of cute, especially in combination with the rambling. He was definitely full of energy, she could tell that much.

Jodie nodded a bit, a smirk still lingering on her face. Sitting here with him had definitely lightened her mood. A lot. Before she had been feeling decent, but now she felt great, actually. Which was odd, considering she was essentially in jail. But if all jails had people like Katsuo, then she didn't think it was that bad at all. "As long as you can keep for your face still for a little bit," Jodie said, giggling. She liked figure drawing, but thought that Katsuo's face would just be a lot of fun to draw. She was planning on focusing mostly on that, if he was up for it.

Jodie looked down at the ground for a second, then back up at Katsuo, who seemed a bit lost in his own world. She blinked her large eyes, starring at him for a bit. She jumped slightly, as the next thing she knew he was asking if she liked anime. Jodie smiled a little bit. She liked anime, sure. She was Japanese. That would be blasphemy if she didn't. Maybe she didn't like it as much as some, but she certainly preferred anime over American cartoons. She smiled a bit, then nodded. That would be fun, if they managed to find a TV somewhere. She was sure there was one in the staff room, but inmates weren't allowed in there, obviously. There had to be a TV and a DVD player somewhere in this place. It was still America, after all. There were TV's everywhere. Maybe she just hadn't been here long enough to find it. She'd actually brought a couple DVD's of her favourites with her, just in case she got really bored, but maybe if they found somewhere to watch them, Katsuo would like to join her. It would be nice watching Anime with someone else who actually liked that kind of cartoon.

Jodie looked over at Katsuo again. He certainly had a very active thought process. She would like to go to the music room with him, actually. She was never as talented in music as she was in art, but she could play a little bit. Like so many other little kids, her parents had forced piano lessons on her when she was 6, so she knew how to play at least a little bit. Jodie looked up at Katsuo, who was holding his hand out to help her up. She smiled shyly, and took his hand as she got to her feet, blushing slightly. "I don't know where the music room is, so umm. Lead the way," she said, smiling a little bit still.

((Psh, your muse is fine :] And that would be so cute! ^^ I think Jodie's starting to like him as well. ))