Lazy Sunday Evening [RESERVED], Koto and Kiata

[KOTO SHIRAGA]

TRY AS YOU MIGHT

Koto's foot steps mimicked her silence as she slipped into what was her dorm room. Kicking off her shoes to she-didn't-care-where, she trudged over to her bed and plopped down on it, happy to be off her throbbing feet, and curled up into a ball. After being pulled around all over town for almost the entire day, Koto was ready to just lay there and do absolutely nothing until morning.

"I hate shopping," she grumbled quietly to herself. It was Sunday, and Koto had gone out to town to hang out with her cousin Ayako, as she had promised in a phone call made a few days earlier. She didn't see the harm in it then. She thought it would just be a stop by the house, then maybe a chat over lunch or something. It was doable. Little did she know that her cousin had the intention of spending as much time as she could with her, dragging Koto every place that popped into her mind that would be "fun." Koto just went along with things, dreading a little over what her cousin would have her do next but unable to object very much since she had promised a day with the girl.

They went from store to store, place to place, shopping and chatting along the way. Well, Ayako did most of the shopping and chatting. Koto just quietly followed, nodding adding in her own words every now and then, adamantly refusing to let Ayako buy her anything when her cousin tried to. Finally, late into the afternoon, she got Ayako to let her go by reluctantly agreeing to do it again some time.

Koto didn't understand how Ayako could go walk around shopping all day and still not be tired. Heck, she didn't understand why anyone would want to spend all day like that, especially if they were doing it just for the heck of it and not out of need. But that was just Koto being Koto. She knew she was a bit of strange duck.

Stretching out on her mattress, she looked over to her roommate's part of the room. Kiata wasn't there currently, which was probably better for Koto. At least she'd get to have a little break to be alone for a little while before Kiata got back. Figuring it'd be a good time to wash off the grime of the day, she pulled off her clothes, tossed them aside, got the set of clothes she had been sleeping in the previous night, and got into the shower. Heat would be good to loosen up her muscles.

[KIATA MAGNOLO]

I CAN'T EXPLAIN A THING
I want everything to change and stay the same

Kiata ran on the tips of her toes, trying to avoid the newly forming puddles as she made her way towards her dorm building. The rain was light, still gathering momentum for the night’s storm, but it was persistent enough to have Kiata holding her bag over her head to protect her hair. Above, the sky was just turning a deep indigo, shrouded in the dark grays and blacks of the storm clouds building overhead. But the young girl hardly noticed as she finally reached the cover of the building.

She wrenched open the door and bolted inside, an involuntary shiver running up her spine as the full blast of the air conditioner hit her after the warmth of the humid rain. Slowly she lowered her books from her head, looking at the soaked pages in dismay. “Great, how am I going to get these dry by tomorrow?” Kiata muttered, a small frown line appearing on her forehead.

But the condition of her books slid to the back of her mind as she remembered why she was so excited to get back to the dorms. Not only did she really want to get out of the rain, but she had great news she couldn’t wait to share with Koto!

A smile pulled onto her face at the thought of the happy news, and the thought of getting out of her wet clothes. Soon she was dashing down the hallways, her wet shoes squeaking and sliding as she went. She pulled out her key card and swiped it quickly before practically hurdling into the room.

“Koto guess wha-“ Her words faded in her mouth as her eyes fell on an empty room. She had stopped by a number of times that day already looking for her roommate and hadn’t caught her yet. Kiata figured she must have gone into town or else to visit family or something, but it was eight at night and she had been sure Koto would have been back by now.

That was, until she spotted her roommate’s only pair of shoes cast aside on the ground. Kiata threw her books down onto her bed and paused to listen for the first time, smiling as she heard the sound of the shower going, just barely detectable over the light patter of rain. Kiata was glad to have finally caught up with her roommate, still, the news had her so excited she could hardly wait to tell her!

But Koto always took really fast showers anyway. Kiata figured she had enough patience to wait, and went to her closet to change into her night clothes. A small smirk pulled onto her face as she opened up her closet, so perfectly organized and neat. No matter where she was or what she was doing in the world that was one thing she could always count on; her wide collection of clothes. She pulled out a cute aqua colored pajama set and pulled it on, thankful for the warm, dry clothes.

“Hi Koto!” Kiata called through the door, not entirely sure her roommate could hear her but not able to stand the silence of the room for more than sixty seconds. Needing to find something to occupy her time she grabbed her hair dryer and jumped onto the bed, pulling the closest book towards her and flipping through the pages using the hot air. It didn’t dry out the thick textbook pages all the way, but it would be good enough.

“Koto hurry up; I have SOOOOOO much to tell you! You’ll never believe what happened to me today!” Kiata yelled from where she sat, bouncing up and down on her bed as she continued to try to dry the pages. It was all she could do to not just start telling the story right then, but she wanted to talk to Koto face to face when telling it. Almost subconsciously Kiata reached over and turned on her music player, just so there would be some noise in the room. It played some famous American pop song that Kiata could never remember the name to, her past life filled with hit songs feeling so far away now.


TAGGED KOTO!!
WORDS 697
NOTES Blah postedness :) Sorry if it's sort of ramble-y...
SONG Coffee's for Closers by Fall Out Boy
TEMPLATE CREDIT EMMYSAURUS ?!

[KOTO SHIRAGA]

TRY AS YOU MIGHT

She simply stood underneath the warm water for a while, letting out a sigh of contentment, rolling her neck around a couple times. Running a hand through her tangled and now wet hair, she spit out a bit of water that had gotten into her mouth. Showers were always nice, especially after a long day out. Turning to all of the soaps and shampoos, she figured she should get started with what she went in there to do. She pumped a bit of shampoo into her hand and lathered it through her hair, shutting her eyes as to not get any of the stuff in her eyes.

Caught up in her shower, Koto flinched a bit in surprise when she heard Kiata call her name. She hadn't heard her come in. Then again, she was in the shower. As she rinsed the shampoo out of her hair and watched the soap go down the drain, she heard Kiata call again, only louder that time. "She's excited," she muttered to herself matter-of-factly. Something good must've happened. Or at least something weird or funny. She decided it'd be better not to keep the girl waiting. Ignoring the conditioner as she always did, she moved straight on the body wash, scrubbing herself with a pouf until she was clean, and then letting the water wash away all the suds. Her hands ran over her arms, legs and such, making sure there was no more soap left before she turned off the water.

After she dried herself and put on her over-sized T-shirt and shorts, she came out of the bathroom with her towel hanging around her shoulders, greeted with some most likely foreign song she didn't understand the words to. Her roommate was doing something to her books with her blow-dryer. Drying them, most likely. Giving a listen outside, she noticed the soft patter of the rain outside. Was the storm here already? Well, it didn't matter that much. They were inside already.

Giving a nod in Kiata's direction as an acknowledgement of her presence, Koto walked over to her bed, sitting down, but wincing when she accidentally sat down on her hair. She got up again, bringing all her hair to rest on one of her shoulders with one end of the towel. Kiata had something to tell, right? Something about something that she wouldn't believe? "Try me," Koto replied, bringing up her knees to her chest and wrapping her thin arms around her legs, ready to listen. Though Kiata was a lot more talkative than her, Koto didn't mind listening to whatever she had to say. It was better than the awkward and uncomfortable silence she probably would have had to deal with if she had been put with a quiet girl like herself. If anything, Kiata brightened things up and gave her something to do. Propping her chin up on her knees, she trained her dark eyes on Kiata, waiting for her story to start.

[KIATA MAGNOLO]

I CAN'T EXPLAIN A THING
I want everything to change and stay the same

By the time Kiata heard the water turn off she had finished drying her first book and had moved onto next one. She knew that she should probably study some that night as well, but for once she just wasn’t in the mood. She wanted to dance and sing with joy, she wanted to tell everyone the news that would probably be spread around campus by the end of the week anyway.

But most of all she wanted to tell Koto, so when the other girl walked into the room Kiata’s face burst into a smile. She dropped her hairdryer onto the bed and turned to face her roommate, pretzeling her legs and practically biting her tongue in excitement.

“My brother’s back! I was leaving class today and heard his voice, so of course I thought I was going crazy, but then he was standing right in front of me and I…” Her voice trailed off and she laughed a little bit, almost embarrassed by her reaction now that she was looking back on it.

“You’ll make fun of me, but I actually started to cry, yeah I know you would think I would be happy, right? But I just couldn’t help it, it was all such a shock. And he-“ A small smile slid onto Kiata’s face, and this time she seemed to be speaking more to herself then to Koto. “He said he had missed me.”

Then she seemed to snap out of her spell and she smiled up at her friend. “So you’ll finally get to meet him, of course! You’re going to love him, he can be a little sarcastic but he’s just being funny most of the time. And he’s the best guitar player I know, oh, I hope we all have music class together! It would be so much fun if we all sang together!” Kiata’s words streamed together into a gentle hum of happiness, but while her words and face showed excitement her eyes seemed a little sad.

Chase’s words and slightly altered disposition troubled her, that darkness she thought she had seen in his eyes still haunting her. But she didn’t know how or if she could tell Koto about that. She usually told Koto everything, Kiata liked to talk and Koto was such a good listener it just felt natural. But this was different; Kiata could barely bring herself to think about it let alone admit her fears out loud. And what if Koto told the teachers about Chase’s allegiance with the others? Surely they wouldn’t go as far as kill him, but he would definitely be in big trouble.

No, she couldn’t do that to her brother, even if he wasn’t the same Chase she had known before. But the longer the weighting knowledge of Chase’s secret stayed with her the more confused and alone she felt.


TAGGED KOTO!!
WORDS 477
NOTES :)
SONG Coffee's for Closers by Fall Out Boy
TEMPLATE CREDIT EMMYSAURUS ?!

[KOTO SHIRAGA]

TRY AS YOU MIGHT

Kiata burst right into her story, and once Koto heard what all the excitement was about, she understood why the words were just waiting to spring out. She had been told that her roommate's beloved twin brother was missing, and now he was found. It was good news indeed. Koto found herself feeling happy for the girl sitting across from her, though she didn't show much of it on her face, and listened to the whole of what she was saying before letting herself go back into her own mind.

She wondered how she would feel if someone she loved went missing, with her being the one to find that person. Surprised? Overjoyed? Angry? Would she cry? Would she faint? She wasn't sure. No one that she would say she loved in her life had disappeared. Or at least, not with the chance of coming back. She knew where her father was, so she couldn't put him in that category. Well, she thinks she knows where he is. Who knows? He had only visited once in the six years since he had left for America, and neither of them wrote or called much. Koto wasn't bitter about it though; however, she did occasionally wonder if she should be.

Pushing those thoughts aside, she turned her attention back on Kiata and lifted her head. "That's good news. Congrats," Koto replied. Her brother, huh? Well, she certainly couldn't guarantee she would like him, but giving a meeting a try was the least she could do. However, music class... "I'm not taking music." Koto didn't have a knack for that sort of thing, nor an interest. She didn't mind listening to Kiata sing or putting up with the music she didn't understand, but in the end, it really wasn't her thing. "Sorry."

Despite her roommate seeming more elated than ever, Koto didn't miss the strange look in the girl's eyes. It didn't match the happiness that the rest of her was showing. Perhaps there was something more she wasn't telling? Maybe, but Koto wasn't about to pry. She already figured out in the small amount of time they had known each other that if Kiata wanted to tell her, she would. If she didn't, oh well. It wasn't any of her business anyway. What went on between the siblings didn't involve her, and seeing that's how things were, she wouldn't try to be unless she absolutely needed to. Besides, she wanted to keep the drama level as low as she possibly could. She had long had enough of that.

Letting her legs down to hang over the edge of the bed and tossing her long hair behind her back, she pulled the towel over her head and ruffled up her hair with it until she was satisfied with how dry (or least how less wet) it was. Once finished, she folded up the towel in probably not the neatest way but good enough for her and placed it on her bed. "You must be relieved," Koto said after that small pause, picking up a brush and pulling it through the tangles and knots of her hair.

[KIATA MAGNOLO]

I CAN'T EXPLAIN A THING
I want everything to change and stay the same

Kiata didn’t even seem to hear her friend’s comment about music class and just nodded numbly at her comment about being relieved. “Yeah, I suppose I am.” She said after a moment, leaning back on her hands and looking out the dark window. The song faded into another foreign song, this one more subdued with an acoustic base. Kiata started whispering the words to herself, knowing with her roommate so close nothing would happen anyway.

Even though the words flowed easily off her tongue they held no meaning to her as they usually did. She felt lost in the music, and not in a good way, but in a helpless way. “Koto, what if I wasn’t who you thought I was? What if I wasn’t a good guy? Would you still like me?” Kiata asked finally, not looking at her roommate as she said it.

It wasn’t meant to be a literal question, Kiata was still fairly sure she was a good person. The fairly was in there due to her slight doubt in how she let Chase get away with everything he was doing. Did that indirectly make her a bag guy too? Was Chase even considered a bad guy now?

Her mind flashed to a few hours before, she could still hear his alluring words and feel the desperate tightness of his arms around her. That pleading tone he took on when explaining why she shouldn’t be frightened, or the excitement that lit up his face when talking about the monsters they had both once feared. She could feel the boy she had known before slowly slipping away from her, that golden knight who used to protect her fading into the shadows.

And where did that leave her? She was torn between the person she loved the most and the life she had chosen to lead. He said he would try to fit in here and at the time she had believed him, but looking back on it now it didn’t seem nearly as likely.

Perhaps Kiata was just jumping the gun, maybe Chase was just going through a phase and everything would be like it was before after all. She certainly hoped so, because she didn’t know whose side she’d be on if it came down to it.

Kiata’s question embodied all of her concerns and fears. It was a question she had to ask in the case of herself, if she was to go to the others would her roommate hate her? But it was also for Kiata’s sake, who was still trying to figure out how she was supposed to feel towards Chase.


TAGGED KOTO!!
WORDS 438
NOTES Oooohhhh ominous ;)
SONG Coffee's for Closers by Fall Out Boy
TEMPLATE CREDIT EMMYSAURUS ?!

[KOTO SHIRAGA]

TRY AS YOU MIGHT

The tangles slowly came out as she brushed and brushed. Koto kept her eyes trained on her roommate, who had suddenly become rather sullen. As she thought, there was more to it than she was aware of, and whatever it was, it wasn't a good thing, but she kept her mouth shut. After a while, she cast her gaze down to the floor. She had become accustomed to the chatty and bubbly Kiata, so seeing the girl like this was new. While Koto was fine with how quiet the room was, minus the music and Kiata's soft whispering, it was a little odd since it wasn't the norm.

Her now smooth strokes paused at the out-of-nowhere question, and her eyes went back to Kiata. "What if I wasn't who you thought I was?" That was...a strange question to ask. Where did it come from? She assumed it had to do with whatever was bothering her. Then again, it was probably best not to jump to conclusions. Koto dropped her hands into her lap, contemplating her answer.

If Kiata weren't "a good guy," huh? What did she mean by that? What if she was an Other? What if she was an enemy of the academy, or of the students? It was a bit vague, but seeing as there was no further explanation, Koto decided to take the question at face value. If the bright, bubbly blonde that always had something to say were an enemy, would she still like her? It was difficult to consider it well because the idea itself seemed hard to believe, with Kiata being who she was. Or who she seemed to be. She pressed her lips together that the thought of it. If Kiata she knew was just a lie to cover up for her real motives, she would definitely not still like her. Bitterness, anger, broken trust, all those reactions came to mind...But what if it weren't just a lie?

"If that Kiata was still the real one, then maybe yes," she quietly answered, her stare back down on the floor and the brushing finally continuing. Did that even make sense? Maybe not, but that was the answer she was confident in. If the girl in front her were truly the way Koto thought her to be, then she probably would still like her. "I might just not like your actions." Satisfied with her work, she placed her brush on the night stand next to her bed and glanced back at Kiata, carefully watching the other girl's expression. "Make sense?"

[KIATA MAGNOLO]

I CAN'T EXPLAIN A THING
I want everything to change and stay the same

Koto’s words rang through Kiata’s ears as she gazed down at the floor too. ‘Still the real one, still the real one…’ Was Chase still the same person she had known before? Was there a way this could work out even if she didn’t agree with what he was doing, or planning to do?

She wasn’t sure, she didn’t even know if the Chase she had known had gone beyond saving. She certainly hoped not, in fact it was her plan to try to pull him back to the light. But she couldn’t forget the way he had spoken to her, the carefully controlled emotions in his voice, asking her how she couldn’t even be a little curious about the others.

She had thought about them a lot, the others that is, and decided that despite her denial before she actually was curious. That didn’t mean she trusted and sided with them like her brother, but the mystery that shrouded them intrigued her. She was scared of them, yet couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to meet them, to talk to one in person.

‘Stop it, you’re thinking like Chase! Remember what the others did to your family, what they’re doing to him!’ Kiata’s hands tightened into fists, but the anger wouldn’t hold.

She sighed and looked up at Koto.“I think so…”She said, her words trailing off as she looked down at her hands she slowly letting her muscles relax. ‘This is so stupid; this isn’t supposed to be my problem, I’m only a kid.’ Kiata looked up and thought, ‘Yeah, I’m only a kid! You know what; forget it! I’m not going to worry about anything anymore!’ It was out of her hands for the time being anyway; Chase promised to stay and maybe that would be the end of it. If he insisted on leaving and her coming with him…well, she would cross that bridge when she came to it. She couldn’t do anything about it now even if she wanted to, so why not just let it go?

Kiata smiled and jumped up off the bed. “Koto, you know I was talking hypothetically, I’m a good guy and will always be your friend, forever and ever! Ok?” She said energetically, beaming brightly at her roommate. Her hands were on her hips in a cutely determined kind of way as she nodded, as if to enforce her words.

“So…” Kiata started, giving Koto’s closet a side-glace before returning her gaze to her roommate. “As your friend I want to do something nice for you, something that shows my appreciation…how do you feel about the color pink?” A small, evil gleam appeared in the little blonde girl’s eyes as she slowly stepped toward her friend.


TAGGED KOTO!!
WORDS 456
NOTES lalalala posted~~
SONG Coffee's for Closers by Fall Out Boy
TEMPLATE CREDIT EMMYSAURUS ?!

[KOTO SHIRAGA]

TRY AS YOU MIGHT

Lying down on her mattress, Koto let out a yawn and stretched herself out, keeping an eye on Kiata and wondering if she meant anything by her question. The other girl had trained her eyes to the floor, seemingly wrestling over something in her mind. Had her response only confused her more? She brought an arm over her face, taking in a deep, soundless breath. There was no point in worrying. Kiata would resolve it one way or another.

She stared up at the ceiling, listening to the downpour of the rain outside, that sound alone filling up the otherwise silent room. When she heard Kiata speak up again, she lifted her arm off her face and looked over towards the other girl. She had gone quiet and still again, but it didn't take too long for her usual cheeriness to take over again, a smile spreading onto her face. Seems like whatever it was she was thinking over was either settled or set aside, and Kiata was back to her normal self.

Nodding in response to her roommate's reassurance over her allegiance and their friendship, she decided that was that, and now she could relax for a while. She reached over to her night stand again, picking up whatever book she got her hands on. Upon looking at the cover, she realized she had gotten a textbook, so she lightly tossed it back. She would only end up staring blankly at the pages anyway, not because she couldn't understand it, but because she wasn't interested.

Koto blinked at the last sentence that left Kiata's mouth. Pink? Now what did she mean? She followed Kiata's glance to her own, practically empty closet. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two for a while until she caught the mischievous glint in the usually innocent eyes of her roommate, and it hit her, dread replacing confusion. Oh, no. Not this again. Making a slight grimace of distaste, she sat up and scooted away from where her roommate stood, knowing she now had something else to be concerned about. "Not for me," she muttered, trying to think of a way of escape.

She could go for the bathroom or the door to the hallway, though the exit itself was not the problem. It was getting past the blonde that was concocting some horrid plot likely to include cutesy clothes and girly excessiveness that Koto knew that she was not going to enjoy. And heavens help her if a camera was involved if Kiata proved successful in her plan. Looks like the relaxing would have to wait for the other girl's "fun" to be dealt with first.

[KIATA MAGNOLO]

I CAN'T EXPLAIN A THING
I want everything to change and stay the same

“Oooooh but you just have to look cute when you meet Chase!” Kiata gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth in a dramatic way. The smile underneath was still visible however, and by now she was practically bouncing with excitement.

“What if, what if you and Chase fall in love and get married? Then we’d be sisters! Ah! I’ve always wanted a sister!” Kiata rambled on, running towards her closet, which was conveniently located right next to the door so Koto couldn’t escape. The entire closet was color coded and then further organized by season, tops and bottoms. She also had many dresses, but unfortunately with combat training and such she hardly ever got to wear them anymore. Her shoes were stacked neatly on a shelf in accordance to style and color, right next to a basket holding socks, scarves and other clothing accessories. All of her jewelry was in a fancy little box that sat on her desk, but she would get to that later.

“You’re a little taller than me so I think we’ll have to go with a skirt or a dress, since there’s a chance the shorts won’t fit. Do you want to wear gold or silver accessories? Or I guess we could do black, it’s really up to you. Oh, this would be so cute on you!”

Kiata pulled out a white skirt with little pink strawberries and double horizontal pink stripes decorating it. It was one of her longer skirts so she figured it would be just the right length on her friend. She didn’t even bother to look at Koto to see her reaction as she threw the skirt over her shoulder and onto the bed. “Now to find a shirt that matches!”

As she searched she muttered things like, “That’s not the right shade!” and “Too many ruffles!” before she finally emerged from the sea of fabrics with a simple tank top in her possession. She held it out in front of her for scrutiny before nodding once and announcing, "This is it! This’ll go perfectly!”

The shirt had horizontal light and dark pink stripes, something that would usually make Kiata throw it aside when trying to match it to a skirt with such detail, but somehow it just seemed to work. The straps were lacy and widely stitched with little bows in the front and back, giving it that girly touch Kiata loved so much.

“With you in this Chase will for sure fall in love with you! You two would make a great couple; he could really use someone steady like you in his life.” Kiata continued as she carefully picked out a matching headband from her plethora of hair accessories. She finally turned back to Koto, smiling a little humbly as she admitted, “I know you’ve really helped me through a lot.”

TAGGED KOTO!!
WORDS 472
NOTES Click me for link to picture of the outfit! :D
SONG Coffee's for Closers by Fall Out Boy
TEMPLATE CREDIT EMMYSAURUS ?!

[KOTO SHIRAGA]

TRY AS YOU MIGHT

Having to act as a dress-up doll was bad enough already, and now Kiata was starting to get crazy ideas. Koto barely held back a groan from leaving her lips. She was fine with meeting her roommate's brother, but she certainly did not intend on being involved in any sort of romantic relationship with him, or anyone any time soon, for that matter. Friends and family were enough; she didn't need more to deal with. Making an impression for Chase was the last thing on her mind. What was on top of her current to-do list though was finding a way to avoid all of this, but what could she do? The doorway to the hall was now blocked, and it wasn't like she could lock herself in the bathroom forever (though she would spend the whole night in there if it meant she wouldn't have to wear whatever it was Kiata was planning). The only thing left was to resist as best as she could.

"Don't want to," she protested with just the slightest bit of a whine in her voice, backing away from the skirt that was thrown onto the bed as if it were about to devour her. If that was what Kiata wanted her to wear as the bottom piece, what was she going to have her wear as the top? Koto would never dream of wearing anything like it. She was perfectly content with her selection of clothes, and the thought of wearing clothes like her roommate's almost made her cringe. It wasn't that the clothes were ugly. They were indeed "cute," but "cute" just wasn't for Koto. She was okay with leaving that to other people who actually liked that stuff and could pull it off. As for herself, she was fine with more plain-looking clothing and was extremely reluctant to settle for anything more. Looking good wasn't something that Koto fussed over.

As Kiata, who was seemingly debating with herself over the shirt, continued to search through her closet while Koto helplessly waited, not looking forward to what was coming. She tried to speak up so she could attempt to talk her out of it, but she just couldn't seem to get Kiata's attention, so she just let her head hang back so she could stare at the ceiling again. When she heard her roommate's declaration of approval, she gave the piece a look, and as she expected, she wasn't any more willing to wear it than she was the skirt.

"I don't want to," she repeated, hoping Kiata heard her and would agree to stop. She could do without all that. Koto just wanted to rest. Chase could wait until tomorrow, and those clothes would be dealt with never. The look Kiata gave her as she spoke her last sentence made her stop her mental complaining for a second. Had she really managed to help the other girl with her small string of words earlier? Maybe so. Looking down a bit, she didn't know what to say to that. After a short pause, she finally mumbled, "It's nothing," and upon looking up again, "But I'm not wearing that."

[KIATA MAGNOLO]

I CAN'T EXPLAIN A THING
I want everything to change and stay the same

Kiata paused, the shirt hanger in her mouth as she tried to lay out the clothes neatly on the bed to get the full effect. She looked up at Koto as if her roommate had suddenly gone insane, the hanger fell out of her mouth. It took her a moment to speak, as if not wanting to wear cute clothes was something that just wouldn’t process in her head.

“Well why not?” Kiata asked, slightly incredulously as she placed one perfectly manicured hand on her hip. “I mean I know you don’t love fashion,” Her tone clearly showed that she still didn’t fully comprehend how someone could not, “but looking nice is still something every girl wants, right?”

She waited a moment for Koto’s answer then just smiled like she always did. “Well if you don’t like pink you can pick out something else, like green or blue. I don’t have a lot of grays or blacks though…” Her voice drifted off and she made a face that showed she obviously disliked those colors. Most of her clothes were yellow; yellow looked good on her and portrayed her bright personality. It had become something of her signature, but that didn’t mean she didn’t enjoy dressing in other colors too. Kiata was sure that if she could just find the right color for Koto the other teenage girl would fall in love with clothes as well. She was still a girl after all, she just had to try a little harder to tap into her feminine side than most, at least, that was what Kiata figured.

Then she shrugged, a little saddened by her friend’s lack of enthusiasm, and returned to her closet to pick out her own outfit for the next day. She was quiet for a few minutes until her pent up energy burst from her like a firework and she was babbling on again.

“Hey you know what would be really cool? If we matched one day! Chase and I have to do it all the time, you know, for shows and stuff, but sometimes we just match because our styles are similar. But it would be way more fun to match with a girl! I could never get Chase to wear a dress, or a skirt, or even a kilt!” Kiata giggled at the memories of her brother running away as she tried to force girly clothes on him.

“Do you have any siblings, Koto-chan?” Kiata asked, honestly curious now. She used the Japanese extra word thingy that meant friend, at least she thought that was what it meant. She hoped it was right so Koto wouldn’t get offended; she made a mental note to go look that up later. Even though she had studied multiple languages from a young age she had never spent a long period of time using any particular one other than English, so she was still getting adjusted. Japanese was one of her favorites though, the words rolled off her tongue so effortlessly and it was fun to write the little characters; each one like a little picture.



TAGGED KOTO!!
WORDS 516
NOTES Haha at this rate Koto's not going to get to sleep at all tonight xD
SONG Coffee's for Closers by Fall Out Boy
TEMPLATE CREDIT EMMYSAURUS ?!

[KOTO SHIRAGA]

TRY AS YOU MIGHT

Had she stuttered? Kiata looked surprised at her answer, the hanger that was previously in her mouth falling to the floor with a light clang. Well, it was a truth that she disliked fashion, but in ally honesty, she didn't care for fluffing herself up to be appealing to the eyes. She was fine with how she looked and how she dressed, and that was really all that mattered to her. "Not me" was her answer, the plain truth as it was, and that's just about all she ever said. She wouldn't say anything she didn't mean, and she meant it when she said she didn't want to wear those clothes.

Koto held back a sigh when her roommate continued to prod her about the clothing. It wasn't the color of the clothes; it was just the clothes themselves. Koto understood that the other girl loved looking cute, and she was good at it, but it was a different story for herself. No, she was the kind of girl to not attract much attention at all, looks or personality wise, and she didn't mind it, being the invisible one. She was able to make a few acquaintances here and there, she could get help whenever she needed it (and when she didn't, to her chagrin), and she got the basic necessities taken care of for her, and she didn't feel like she needed anymore attention than that. It was all she ever got, actually, and while she did find herself yearning for a little more every now and then, she always denied herself of it. She didn't need it, she told herself, and thus, there was no point to trying to get it.

Upon noticing Kiata's discouraged expression, she felt a little bad for bringing her down, but she wouldn't allow herself to waver. A few minutes of silence passed between them, and Koto was hoping that her roommate had dropped the subject and would allow her the rest she wanted, but suddenly, the girl's mouth started running off again. She didn't mind listening to Kiata's upbeat chatter, but she was still going on about clothes. And matching. There was no way that would work. They contrasted way too much to ever come to something they would both be okay with wearing. Instead, she entertained the thought of Kiata hunting down her brother to try and fit a frilly dress on him. As long as it wasn't her, after all.

Her ear picked up on the affectionate honorific that Kiata had added to her name. Not that it really mattered though. She was already using her first name, so it wasn't much of a change. She would let Kiata get away with it since she's a foreigner. Though, being called "Koto-chan" made her think back to her cousin, who previously had been the only one to call her that. Ayako and Kiata were similar in many ways. Bubbly, kind, chatty, they would get along well, no doubt about it.

For all she knew, she could have some step- or half-siblings, considering how long her father had been gone and how little he kept in contact. That wasn't entirely his fault though. She didn't bother to talk to him either. She would never admit it to anyone, as it was hard enough to admit it to even herself, but she wanted him to come find her. He was the one that left and never came back, after all. But she tossed that aside. There was no point in dwelling on that. She wasn't a baby anymore. No, her days of being showered in love and attention died with her mother. That man could do what he wanted, and she could do what she wanted. No need for tears and longing, and if she didn't need it, she wouldn't take it.

She went ahead to answer with a shake of her head. Suddenly, she didn't feel like talking. Thinking about her more personal affairs caused a choking feeling to push up her throat, but she'd swallow the feeling soon enough. She always did.

[KIATA MAGNOLO]

I CAN'T EXPLAIN A THING
I want everything to change and stay the same

Kiata peered out from inside her closet just in time to see her roommate shake her head. Her lips were sealed up tight in that way that told the young American that now was not the time to press her friend. Even though Kiata might seem oblivious and self-centered at times she really did care about her friends and didn’t want to make things bad for them.

She turned back to the clothes, searching a little more slowly now. Her small hands ran over the smooth fabrics; rayon, cotton, silk. So many choices, so much variety, and yet Kiata couldn’t seem to find a single thing that fit her mood. Her cheeriness seemed to be slowly leaking out of her, as if it were spiraling the drain. Finally she sighed and shook her head, giving up the search.

She flopped down onto her bed, laying on her back and staring up at the ceiling with an almost blank expression. “You don’t, huh?” Kiata mumbled, more to herself then to Koto. Of course it was a rhetorical question, but the pensive tone made it sound like there should be words that followed after the statement. However Kiata remained silent and motionless, her short hair framing her face like a golden halo.

“Hm, you know what, Koto-chan?” She said after a moment, letting the words hang in the air for a second before rolling onto her side to face her friend again. “That’s alright, because I want you to know I’ll always be there for you, like a sister, kay?” The little girl grinned at her friend, sitting up in criss-cross position and leaning forward, as if to show she was being sincere. Serious words like that hardly sounded serious or well thought out coming from someone like Kiata, and maybe they really weren’t, but that didn’t mean she didn’t mean them all the same.

She pulled away after a second, her grin becoming a little smaller, more withdrawn. Her eyes became a little unfocused as she looked up at the ceiling, as if remembering something from long ago. Or perhaps she was just trying to hide the emotion that lay within them, still unwilling to show weakness to even one of her closest friends.

“I-I haven’t had many friends in my life, believe it or not. But those few I do have,” She paused, looking at Koto and smiling again. “They really mean something to me, you know?” Kiata tilted her head for a second, seeming to be lost in thought again, before laughing and looking down.

She shook her head after a moment and said in an almost falsely cheery voice, “You must think I’m some weak little kid or something, huh?”


TAGGED KOTO!!
WORDS 452
NOTES Posted~
SONG Coffee's for Closers by Fall Out Boy
TEMPLATE CREDIT EMMYSAURUS ?!

[KOTO SHIRAGA]

TRY AS YOU MIGHT

She could feel it. Koto could feel the room drain of Kiata's previous energy and enthusiasm. While Koto wanted her to stop with the clothes, she didn't mean to drag her roommate down like that. Had she let something slip on her face that tipped Kiata off? With the other girl no longer gleaming with her usual brightness, there was nothing to cheer Koto up. She scratched her head in a bit of aggravation. Thinking about her family really was bothersome.

Pulling herself out of her own thoughts to keep them from getting too out of hand, she gave a look towards Kiata's direction. It looked like she had entered into her own thoughts as well, leaving things to go quiet again. Koto considered trying to sleep then, despite it only being 8:36 PM, but the words that Kiata seemed to have left hanging felt like she had something more to say, and soon enough, Koto was proved right.

She could feel her face soften. She wasn't expecting those words, but once she thought about it, she probably should have since they were coming from Kiata. For her to make such a promise, that was just like her. While Koto couldn't completely take the other girl's word for it, it was a tad bit comforting all the same, even if she knew it was likely that Kiata wouldn't be able to fulfill what she just said. She would at least let herself take some comfort that Kiata would try to when she could. But after that short burst of cheeriness, the blonde slipped back into the distant presence she held before. The back and forth was starting to tire Koto out more, so she lay herself down, pulling her blanket over her small bony body, and turning to face her roommate.

That was news to Koto. She had imagined that the blonde would have friends by the ton. After all, she was pretty likable, if a bit naive and chatty. She was friendly enough, so why? Koto didn't have time to think about it before Kiata continued with something strange. "Why would I?" She was confused. What was wrong about caring about your friends, especially if you only had a few? Did she seem like the kind of person to think that? Not that it mattered, though. "There's nothing wrong with it," she said after a short while. "Caring for friends."

If you considered them your friends, why wouldn't you care for them? It wouldn't make sense to call them that, otherwise. That was how Koto felt. She wouldn't call a person her friend unless she had a genuine concern for them, not just as a person, but as himself. Was it different for other people? Maybe. Not everyone thought the same, after all. "Friends are supposed to mean something you," she said with a small yawn, considering letting sleep take over. It'd be better than letting her mind run off on depressing things, and she hadn't exactly gotten any less tired since she got back to the dorms. Perhaps she should at least finish the conversation, but that wasn't really possible with Kiata. She'd be up the rest of the night if she tried to do that.

Oh, but wait. She hadn't brushed her teeth yet. Begrudgingly, she slipped out of her blanket and lazily made her way to the bathroom, leaving the door open so she could hear whatever else her roommate had to say before she went to sleep.