[January] Setting the Stage

Misa frowns, lightly tapping the end of her pencil against her cheek as she stares down at the empty notebook. She’s lying on her stomach, feet slowly waving back in forth in the air as her tail twitches ever so slightly while she ponders. Both the blue spade on its tip and the twin blue horns on her head emit a neverending stream of flickering light, courtesy of the hellfire trait she possesses. It’s just enough light to write by in her otherwise dark room, assuming the words would come to the forefront of her mind.

It’s that time of year again. With the brand new Year of the Bun ushered in just a little while ago, she must now evaluate her progress on last year’s personal goals and make some new ones for this year. It’s a task that, as always, sounds simpler than it usually is.

How had she done last year, anyway? Dozens of notebooks are piled haphazardly in the corner of the room, filled to the brim with the miscellaneous tidbits of knowledge she has acquired. Some pages are dotted with written notes, while others contain detailed diagrams and drawings. It’s quite an impressive collection, actually, organized nicely with tables of contents and painstakingly numbered pages, but it never feels like it’s enough.

While other buns of her subtype might collect trinkets, she greedily collects knowledge, skills, and experiences. Not all of them are good or fun, but they’re there, oh so temporarily quenching her curiosity for an hour or so before she begins again, diving down another rabbit hole of sorts. Some things she avoids entirely, of course, but most things are on the table. It has made it really easy to keep herself afloat in this expensive city, living by herself in a small but cozy apartment in the center of it. She does as she pleases and answers to no one.

She sighs, reflecting on the previous year’s worth of experiences. Yes, she supposes she made quite an effort to indulge in her greed for knowledge, but she’ll never allow herself to say that it was enough. While last year’s forays were mostly haphazard, this year’s shall be directed, purposeful. There will be an overarching theme: adventure.

Smiling, she scribbles down a few related notes to guide her along with the year, 2023. Perfect. She’s ready. Now it’s time to rest and begin anew tomorrow.