School was back and Lore was about as excited for it as she was for going to the dentist.  Still, she was at the crossroads, almost literally in fact.  She was a ways from the entrance, not far off the path.  Of course she wasn't outside the school either.  She had perched herself on the wall and was currently lying on her belly with an arm hanging off either side.  Her ankles we crossed and her legs were kicking up and down casually.  She'd already been up to the school, she'd locked Brutus in her room with a fish and fresh water before she wandered back down to the wall.  She'd not bothered to put the uniform on yet and was quite prepared to use the wall as an excuse as she wasn't technically at school yet, at least, as far as anyone who talked to her knew. 

Instead of the uniform, she wore jeans, sneakers, a black shirt with a rock logo on it, and a new leather jacket she'd acquired earlier that week.  She was quite happy with it though was thinking about cutting off the sleeves, if she could find some kid in the school who could sew, maybe she'd have the sleeves made into a matching jacket for Brutus.  That would be nice, he'd look good in leather.  She smiled to herself and let the sun shine down and warm her on the wall.

If anything good could be said about being here, it was that she had found and rescued Brutus.  Maybe she'd even be able to get a motorcycle this year.  She wondered if Japan would even let her ride, probably not, they didn't allow any fun.  Still, maybe she'd build one and call it a scooter.  Some kids had scooters, she was sure she'd seen some out in the city.  She'd have to hide it from the teachers but she'd done it well enough with Brutus.  She then began to daydream about riding a motorcycle alongside Brutus and going off into the sunset.

Another summer had come and gone for the daughter of Oh. A season during which she had been separated from her prince for the final week, had not seen Lady Tachibana and even that fool Takara had been scarce. Partially this was due to her parents insisting that she come home for the final week of the break. She'd gone reluctantly even though she was genuinely pleased to see her famikly for the first time in months. During the time away from Astraea Hill she'd undergone some serious contemplation complicated by the fact that a cousin had figured out something troubled Haruka. Something deep in her heart ran contrary to everything she'd believed for the past year; someone about whom she thought regularly. Her heart beat heavily with every thought of the girl despite the fact that she had thought said girl was after the lady she'd sworn to serve. The cousin had shown her that maybe she really liked this girl.

Haruka had been requested by her mother to act a little less macho anyway, so it wasn't a surprise that she returned to the front gate a different girl. At least as far as outward appearances went. Her uniform was currently in her bag but neither was she wearing her typical armor. Instead her clothes consisted of a layered white skirt, pale blue tank top with sparkly pink hearts up the side and a pair of feminine sandals. Haruka's hair was allowed to hang freely, falling over her shoulders rather pleasantly. She thought maybe the blonde girl who dominated her thoughts on the train ride back might appreciate the gesture. All in all the brunette looked totally different, and the smile on her face helped complete the transformation. Somehow she was happy as she walked toward the gate and came across a slightly familiar looking girl. It had been a while but she was sure this girl had been invovled in some kind of altercation which had required the intervention of a samurai. Since she wasn't totally certain though she decided a bit of decorum might actually be in order.

"Um... greetings," she spoke up, waving to the girl, "Are you just coming back from holiday as well?"

Lore didn't pay much attention to the approaching footsteps, she didn't much care who came around, so lost was she in her imaginary world. Of course she was dragged right out of her little paradise when whoever was approaching started talking to her. She groaned and pushed herself up into a more upright position. "Ugh, do not remind me. The holiday needs another month, or year. Even a week would be good." She turned to look at the other girl.

She seemed familiar somehow though Lore couldn't place her. Probably just another Spica walking around the halls. Outside of the halls with no context Lore was pretty sure she'd never remember this girl, so she gave up trying. Lore swung her leg up and over the well and laid across it, her head propped up on a fist. "I haven't even recovered from my sun burns. School shouldn't start until all the summer is gone." She sighed again.

The girl wasn't very happy about the seasonal change if her words and body language were any indication. Haruka stared at the girl a little longer after getting the feeling again that she'd seen her before. Nothing came of it so she just stood trying to think of what to do given that her topic of conversation had been brutally shot down like Takeda cavalry at the hands of Oda muskets. Insisting on the value of autumn came to mind but it wasn't likely that the girl would appreciate Haruka's appreciation for the season quite as much. Being a boorish sort wasn't going to win over Takara either. If that were her goal this fall it would be necessary to hone her skills as a regular girl instead of purely a samurai. Which reminded her! She had to send a message to Takara now that she had a new phone! That could wait a little bit.

"I guess it would be nice for us to get a bit more time off before we have to come back here and study more. I didn't get a chance to do everything I wanted for sure. No time to try and k.. er.. hu... do things," Haruka expressed as she tried to relate to the girl, "But at least school's not going to be super tough until we get a little farther in, right?"

Lore listened as the girl tried to reassure her, at least, that is what it sounded like. It did not help her much. She went limp and just laid on the wall like a sloth or even a slug. "School is hard already. I had to get tutor just to help translate all the homework. It is easy for you who grow up knowing language, but I am still not good at Japanese. Then some try to help with English. English? I speak that worse." She gazed sadly at the other girl. Super tough is now, when I get better, school will get harder just as fast."

She turned her head and held her forehead against the wall. "This is life now. When is next summer?" She had gotten a lot better at Japanese, it was obvious she was still foreign but she could hold her own in most conversations. But writing and reading was still giving her a massive amount of grief. The teachers tried to help but it wasn't like they could dedicate themselves to be at her beck and call, as nice as that would be. She needed to find a tutor who could speak her language, but despite how many foreign kids came to this school, it was still like finding a pebble on the beach.