and i think i'm ready / to let you get under my skin (for ~rockinghorse)

[onepromise]

[Thank goodness for the Shinkansen.

Otherwise, Mai highly doubts she would have slummed it on a local train for almost half a day just to spend some time in Tokyo. As it is, she hardly bothers venturing to the capital city if it doesn't involve anything school-related-- and even then, she's the last person to be excited about participating in the first place. She far prefers her home campus in Kyoto to the sister-school where, unfunnily enough, her own sister attends. Just the thought of being in the same city as Maki annoys her to no end, but Mai takes mild comfort knowing that whatever plans she has wouldn't have interested her musclehead sister, anyway.

She won't admit it out loud, but the best part of today's trip is the fact that it doesn't involve school, or curses, or anything relating the life she was unfortunately born into and forced to remain in. Pretending to be utterly normal, even if for a day, is a luxury not meant for someone like her-- yet here she is curled up in her train seat and watching the world rush by, just like everyone else.

Of all of the impulsive decisions that she's made, this one might prove to be one of the very few that don't crumble into something wholly disappointing. Or, well, a girl can certainly wish.

At some point in their planning, Mai had insisted on meeting up at some karaoke joint-- Nana made no mention of any upcoming shows she'd be performing at, but Mai would be damned if she went back home without finding out if the woman was all-talk about her record deal and star talent. In another life, Mai might've been the type to join a group of girlfriends for singing as soon as the last school bell sounded. In this life, though, she's rubbing elbows with someone almost-famous, hundreds of miles away from home. She could do a whole lot worse for herself (and certainly has before).

She's reluctant to admit when she's lost, but it's obvious enough when she shows up a bit late to their hangout that Mai fumbled the directions along the way. Embarrassing. The excuse of not being all that familiar with the city is tidy enough and it's the truth, but Mai is still annoyed-- half with herself, and half with the city of Tokyo in general. When she spots Nana lingering outside of the building, she makes a half-decent effort to smooth the scowl from her face before approaching her side.]

These streets are so annoying. I don't know how anyone could get used to living here.

[As she speaks this brusque "greeting" of hers, Mai fishes around in her tote bag before pulling out a small box of a regional confection from her hometown. Without fanfare, she holds the gift out to Nana in the hopes that she'll do Mai the favor of taking it off of her hands.]

This was my friend's idea. Keep it, or give it away. I won't care either way, really.

[A lie; Momo might have been the one to insist on her bringing along a souvenir from Kyoto, but Mai is the one holding the box and the expectation of approval. A hereditary trait she loathes, honestly.]

So, what are the odds of this place having any of your originals to sing along to?

Comments

[rockinghorse]

( there’s something almost hopeful about this entire situation, and while nana herself had not been allowed to [nor did she allow herself] to properly grieve, she did wonder if all of this was a good idea or not. unbeknownst to mai, she had been ruminating on this entire endeavor in her temporary living arrangement. this girl was young, cute, and her bluntness was charming in it’s own unique way. she was just afraid of giving her heart to someone again, of falling in love and being disappointed all over again.

’hachi’ was a thought that came to mind when she thought about that. she had never admitted it, but she had fallen in love with the girl only to have her heart ripped out in the worst manner possible. on top of that, the passing of ren was far too immobilizing for her, and while she seemed okay, was she really?

these thoughts and fears were so strong, she nearly called up the girl to cancel on their ‘date-not-date’- betraying her cool facade. yet even she couldn’t tolerate people like that, those who made plans and flaked on it. so she decided to suck it up and just take it for what it was; hanging out with someone she was accidentally too vulnerable with and was certainly not trying to date. they had enough similarities and complexes from what little she surmised from their conversation- they could just bond about that and leave it at that.

yet as the day came and the clock ticked away, nana got dressed and felt an anxious excitement about the whole thing. she hadn’t told anyone about this, despite the fact that she wasn’t going to do anything bad, but she couldn’t bring herself to share this. it was almost a way to protect this moment, this experience from being ruined.

that excitement soon began to falter though, as she arrived to the location and no one was there. she leaned against a rail, wearing a red and black heart blazer, a mini skirt, and a pair of rocking horse shoes to complete the look. she pulled out a cigarette and held it in her mouth, not lighting it for now [she had promised herself she would cut back on the smoking for the sake of her voice]. it was then after sometime of posing like this, that a familiar voice came though-

she had thought the very same thing when she first moved here. what an amusing coincidence. )

You really are from a small town aren’t you? We usually say ‘hello’ first in Tokyo.

( a bit of teasing on her end, but soon the gift came into her hands and she was left with a softer expression on her face. it was far too easy to see through that facade, through that attitude and it touched nana. so she immediately opened it up as mai spoke, pulling one of the treats and wrangling it between her lips, the unlit cigarette, and giving it a good bite before speaking once more. )

Well they have our first single actually, ’Rose’ but these treats are great. I wouldn’t throw it or give it away in a million years. Tell your friend I said ‘thank you, that’s incredibly thoughtful of you and I appreciate it.’

Unless of course this was your idea. I would surely find some way to thank you properly. Of course, you’ll have to admit it.