The First Door (Aida)

[Clash]

Through the first door of the downward spiral, Joshua stepped. The knob turned in his grip, cold metal on his gloves. He found himself stepping into a corridor, an old closet with a remarkably nice redwood door that stood out against the white painted halls. A row of windows to one side showing a blue sky with white clouds, and a row of doors on the other, the doors had dull paint on them and slid open and closed, opposed to this hinged redwood masterpiece, varnished to a flawless shine. Joshua walked down the hall, he reached one hand out and let the finger of his glove trace along the wall, slowly moving along. Step, step, step.

He had forgone his mask, letting his golden skin and silvery eyes show. His copper-wire hair was combed down, and behaved remarkably well, He looked up and down the hall as he walked, he was alone and every step, though he tried to make it as silent as he could, echoed like heavy drums in a tomb. Joshua stopped and stood frozen still, his eyes having fallen on someone before him, he tilted his head slightly, transfixed...

[silvca]

There was the gentle sound of the rain pouring from the sky. Most of the student body had gone home by this time. It was 4:35pm. The remaining few would stay for after school activities, homework, or just to hang out. Aida was here for a different reason. She was looking for a 'lost' charm bracelet out in the school yard which was past two doors. The world can be cruel it so many ways...

A freshman had come to Aida claiming that she lost her favorite charm bracelet out in the rain. It was nothing but a cruel joke, just to make Aida look dumb. Some people wondered if Aida was stupid but that wasn't it. Those that have stuck around enough would know that she just likes to help even if it means wasting her time.

Aida had ran back under the roof outside. She was soaking wet. Looking around, she noticed that the freshman had gone. She knew now that she had been tricked and made a fool out of. "Achoo!" She covered her nose with her hands before squeezing the water out of her school skirt and shirt. "Shot down again." Aida slowly made her way back inside, tempted to call her aunt to come pick her up.

[Clash]

Joshua stared at the girl. She was soaking wet from the rain, his eyes couldn't leave her. He started to walk towards her slowly. His footsteps still seemed quite loud, tough each step seemed to take forever to Joshua as he stared at that girl. He stepped towards her slowly, then pulled his jacket off from his shoulders and held it out to her.

"uh... Here."

His voice lacked that cocky certainty he seemed to never run out of, a nervous sincerity rung out in his voice as he held the coat out to the girl. His lips curled into a small grin and he spoke with a weak laugh. "hehe... You need it more than I do." He looked around the school hall, then back to the girl. "I... uh.... I'm Josh." He smiled a little more warmly, hoping to reassure this girl.

[silvca]

Her gaze suddenly landed on Joshua. This man had taken his jacket off his shoulders and held it out to her. Slowly Aida looked around wondering if this was another joke. She blinked. "Thank you..." Her voice was a bit hesitant as she took the jacket and put it around herself. She felt puny compared to this person and he didn't even look like a student. His hair was a copper color, his eyes silver, and his skin gold. She have never seen anything like it. Just the sight of him now caught her off guard. "Your gold..." Aida stared with slightly wide dark eyes. His name went through one ear and out the next.

"Your gold?" She said again as if that where his name. She heard her name being called from down the hall. It was her aunt. "I'm coming." Just in that instant she had forgotten all about Josh and ran off with his jacket on her shoulders.

[Clash]

"Yes, I'm gold" He smiled, looking at the girl. Her hair was so dark... like her eyes. She looked so different from him, and from the few other people he'd seen here. She stood out to him, and he smiled as she took his jacket. He wore a dark blue shirt under it, a T-Shirt that showed off his arms and those gloves of his. He smiled and rubbed the back of his head anxiously, giving a nervous smile. She repeated herself, he laughed and gave a soft, kind grin. "Yeah, I'm gold. Hahahahaha!"

He heard a voice call her name then he watched her turn her head. So that's her name.... He blinked and watched her as she ran off, his coat still around her shoulders. She didn't seem to catch his name. "ah... um...." He gave a nervous glance, his usual cockiness completely gone as he watched her run off. "I... uhh..." He smiled and looked away. His heart was racing. She could keep his jacket, she needed it.

[silvca]

Finally she was home in her warm cozy room. It was messy and small with wooden flooring. People usually got the impression that she was tidy. Aida got yelled at for her room being a mess so she started picking up clothes off the floor and tossing them into her basket. She was usually too busy to be bothered with cleaning or so she has convinced herself.

......

After all of her cleaning her room looked somewhat decent. She had almost forgotten about the jacket she had taken from that man earlier. There it was slumped on her chair in a heap along with her back pack. Who did that man say he was again? Aida struggled to remember. Was it Jona? No it was Josh. She picked up the jacket in her hands, turning it over slowly.

Time Skip- Next Saturday

[Clash]

(Next Saturday)

Joshua smelled awful. No one around him would bother to talk to him, and even if they did they spoke a rather course, guttural language he couldn't understand. He couldn't find lodging to sleep in and it was the rainy season. Joshua had to sleep down alleys to avoid getting too badly drenched. He couldn't leave though. He just couldn't. He remembered that name "Aida"... that was the name that she responded to. That had to be her name... Aida.

Joshua emerged from the alley, his hair was a mess and his clothes even worse. He looked around, He was near that building, where he emerged from the Tower and met that girl. Aida... He couldn't get her out of his head. The rain was coming down on him hard, good. At least he can claim he took a shower today.

[silvca]

It was the season for exams. Which meant lots of studying and late nights. Though Aida couldn't help but wonder about that guy. She wondered if he was missing his jacket at all. Aida had been staying in more than usual which only meant one thing. She was bored. Desperate times called for desperate measures so she grabbed the jacket wrapping it around herself and went outside.

It was cool and cloudy. It looked like it was going to rain but that didn't concern her. Aida had her wallet stuffed inside the jacket. She walked all the way into town hoping to find something of interest. Suddenly it started raining which caused her to use the jacket to keep the rain off her head. Aida felt a little bit silly but her concern about what people would think about her faded.

Walking a bit further she started spotting a coffee shop, small marketplace, pastry shop, and other neat places. She stopped inside the pastry shop first.

[Clash]

Joshua looked up, he saw the girl again. There she was, under his coat and running through the rain. He remained frozen, transfixed, staring at her. Part of him thought it had to be a trick of the eyes, that she was a wishful fantasy. He knew better, he'd know that jacket anywhere, and those dark eyes were locked in his memory forever. Joshua looked at himself, he was a wreck, sleeping on the street for as long as he did could do that to someone. Amidst the people in kimonos and bowler hats, Joshua pushed his way through the crowd and approached Aida.

He reached out a hand, wanting to grab her shoulder, to start a conversation with her, to ask her about this world, her home... She vanished into the pastry shop and he stood there, arm outstretched, the writing on the sign foreign to him. His arm sank and he stood in the doorway of the building, under the sloping roof's edge and out of the rain, looking through the window at her, at Aida.

[silvca]

Aida had gotten herself a strawberry pastry, blueberry pastry, and chocolate chip cookie.

"Here you go. Have a nice day."

Aida smiled at the woman behind the counter. "Thanks. You too." Aida hurried out of the pastry shop and look who did she run into. Joshua. Aida gave a soft squeak running into Joshua and bouncing back against the door as it closed. She looked dazed, the bag of pastry food in her hand and the jacket in her other hand.

"Excuse me..." Aida rubbed her face slightly before blinking and focusing on Joshua. She blinked and her breath almost escaped from her. "Uh..Y-You!" She pointed at him.

[Clash]

Joshua watched her through the window, then was starting to walk away when he heard it.

"Uh.. Y-You!" Joshua turned, he saw Aida there, he pointed as well in surprise! "You!" He held his finger out, then lowered his arm and smiled a bit. "You're name... It's Aida, right? I think that's what I heard that lady call you." He had a warm smile, not necessarily a very confident one, Aida seemed to have a real effect on Joshua, his confidence and pride melting away and revealing something deeper, he was exposed to her, his defenses stripped away.

"You still got my Jacket." He chuckled a little. Joshua crossed his arms and rubbed them, he was a little cold from the rain, his gold skin standing out compared to those around them.

[silvca]

Aida slowly gave a nod of her head. "Your Joshua." She suddenly held out her jacket towards him, smiling right back. "Lady?" She looked a bit confused before thinking back the other day. He meant her aunt. "Oh, you mean my aunt." Aida could sense Joshua's confidence and pride melting away. Or at least she guessed she could sense it. Aida was still working hard on her ability and trying to gain her confidence in herself.

"Yeah. I'm returning it though." She still had it held out to him. "So..your skin is gold. You don't look like your from around here." She observed. Aida was still in awe about Joshua's skin and hair. She had never seen anyone like this before. Maybe he was from far away...

[Clash]

Her Aunt? She had family here, It made Joshua smile a little more. He was glad she had someone, he had no idea where his family was... He didn't know if he'd ever see them again. Not from around here? Joshua suppressed a small laugh. "I'm not." Joshua smiled again, a warm smile. He seemed completely smitten by Aida. She remembered his name too! "I'm from... Up north." He looked down a bit, still smiling, it was a fib but she wouldn't believe that he came through a closet door leading to another world, would she?

"I... thanks." He looked at Aida, then at the rain, he held his jacket then wrapped it around her shoulders once more. "You'll need it more than I will." He looked at Aida with soft eyes. Something about her set his heart racing. "I'm new around here, could you please... show me around?"

[silvca]

So he wasn't from around here. "You look like your from far far away." She added quickly. Her eyes flickered a little. From up north. She wasn't sure exactly what he meant by that. Aida gave him a slight stare. "It's your jacket." She handed him his jacket before walking out into the rain. "You came here without even researching Tokyo?" She gave him a curious look and a tilt of her head.

[Clash]

Joshua took his jacket back and put it on. He heard hear question and looked down sheepishly. "The trip was a little spontaneous, I do admit..." He watched her step into the rain, watching the water run over her clothes, through her hair. Joshua stepped out into the rain with her. "you don't seem like you're from around here either, though..." He smiled and felt the water running over his face, through his hair... He looked at Aida.

"Would you care to show me around town, Aida?"