Post by ¡El Bandito! on Jan 19, 2011 23:08:48 GMT -8
If there was one thing Haruka had learned in her 18 years' experience in all life issues, it was never to insult a guy's woman.
Unfortunately, this is exactly that she had unwittingly done Friday afternoon.
Sure, in this case the woman involved was technically just a beat up piece of wires and plastic, but the point certainly remained. Ochi Haruka had scorned Beth, her friend's one true love.
It never occurred to her that anyone still even carried around a CD player anymore, let alone had the kind of bizarre attachment to the device that Sabakuno Kankuro had displayed earlier, giving her the cold shoulder for the remainder of the day over a scoff and a giggle when he had produced the silly thng from his sweatshirt pocket. Beth, as she had learned was the CD player's name, was not something to be denounced in the brunette male's presence.
At first, she thought he was over-exaggerating like the drama queen he was. Even after the school day had ended and he hadn't spoken to her since the incident, it didn't really seem like a big deal. She didn't hear from him for the rest of the night, but that really wasn't all that unusal. Their friendship was, in a word, tedious; it always seemed to teeter on the knife's edge between good and ugly – it was probably a good thing that they didn't overload on the other for the sake of everyone around. The weekend passed uneventfully, and still nothing from the brunette; it didn't really surprise her, though – she wasn't so needy that she suddenly had to talk to this guy that she had never paid attention to before until a couple months ago all the goddamn time.
It was only Sunday night as she sat on the mattress pushed into the far corner of her glorified walk-in closet of a studio apartment that she found herself listlessly refreshing her email and incessantly checking her cell phone – only to find no new messages in either medium. Now, really, it was ridiculous to think he was ignoring her on purpose; there was probably a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why he hadn't got in touch. A crappy family reunion or all that procrastinating on school work had finally caught up to him, or crazy Fresh Mart shifts or... something.
The salmon-haired girl (who really needed to redye her hair soon, this color was turning into a real drag) bit her lip and sighed through her nose, doublechecking the playlist one last time before clicking the 'Burn CD' button. Who cared if it was almost midnight? Considering how all he ever did was complain about how school starting so early should be a criminal offense, there was no way he was asleep right now.
And it wasn't as though he lived far away.
Sure, If his parents were around they probably wouldn't approve, but there were some pretty easy ways to get around this.
Content that the computer had begun the writing process, she stood up on her makeshift bed, stepping onto the dirty-sock-littered floor and picking up a pair of only-slightly-worn jeans and pulling them on over bare legs.
Late night adventures were the best kind, after all, she decided matter-of-factly. Sure, she could just wait until tomorrow, like a sane person, but... since when did Ochi Haruka opt for the normal option?
The tone signifying the completion of the mix CD chimed, and the drive popped out of her laptop excitedly. Snatching it out of the tray, she placed it into a plastic gem-case and set it down, pulling a sweatshirt over her head before grabbing her apology-slash-offering again. A final snatch of the keys off of her kitchen counter and a fresh cigarette tucked behind her ear, and she was out the door and off into the Tokyo night.
While she had been told that it was never a good idea to walk around the big city alone at night, she didn't really mind it. As long as she walked with purpose no one bothered her, and she stayed out in the brightly-lit main streets where nothing too shady could happen. Theoretically, at least.
A brisk 15 minute walk accompanied by a mental facepalm for forgetting her own music in lieu of the gem case she held in her hoodie's front pocket with both hands, and she had made it to the apartment complex without incident. Biting her lip once more, she found the bush that the brunette had pointed out to her once that marked the spot she should stand should she ever need to find his window, just under the fire escape. But... which window was it again? She frowned; he needed to put up some garish pinup over the glass or something.
Selecting a pebble from the cigarette-littered ground, she closed one eye and threw with her good arm, hoping the throw wasn't too strong and broke any glass, especially if the window wasn't his.
“What the hell do you think you're doing!?”
A cranky old lady's voice; clearly Haruka had picked wrong. Quickly, she scrambled into the bushes, hugging the wall directly under the fire escape until she heard the slam of the window again, but only after half-mumbled rants about hooligans and the corrupt youth.
It would almost be funny, if she wasn't afraid she was going to get the cops called on her.
“Maybe I should abort this mission,” she murmured quietly to herself, poking her head out again and surveying her remaining options. There was always tomorrow morning, and part of her was admitting that perhaps this was not the most intelligent of ideas she had ever come up with. But, at the same time, she was already here, and there were only so many windows she could try until she found the right one.
She just hoped she wouldn't get arrested before then.
Picking up another pebble, she squinted once more, pink tongue sticking slightly. She vaguely remembered her classmate grumbling about some bitchy cat lady living directly under him; perhaps her shot hadn't been so terrible after all. Drawing back her arm, she threw the tiny rock in a high arc, hitting the target perfectly.
..So it was only fitting that nothing happened.
“What the hell?” she growled. Either this was the wrong window, he wasn't home, or he was ignoring the noise. And that just wouldn't do.
Grabbing another pebble, she fired again.
Unfortunately, this is exactly that she had unwittingly done Friday afternoon.
Sure, in this case the woman involved was technically just a beat up piece of wires and plastic, but the point certainly remained. Ochi Haruka had scorned Beth, her friend's one true love.
It never occurred to her that anyone still even carried around a CD player anymore, let alone had the kind of bizarre attachment to the device that Sabakuno Kankuro had displayed earlier, giving her the cold shoulder for the remainder of the day over a scoff and a giggle when he had produced the silly thng from his sweatshirt pocket. Beth, as she had learned was the CD player's name, was not something to be denounced in the brunette male's presence.
At first, she thought he was over-exaggerating like the drama queen he was. Even after the school day had ended and he hadn't spoken to her since the incident, it didn't really seem like a big deal. She didn't hear from him for the rest of the night, but that really wasn't all that unusal. Their friendship was, in a word, tedious; it always seemed to teeter on the knife's edge between good and ugly – it was probably a good thing that they didn't overload on the other for the sake of everyone around. The weekend passed uneventfully, and still nothing from the brunette; it didn't really surprise her, though – she wasn't so needy that she suddenly had to talk to this guy that she had never paid attention to before until a couple months ago all the goddamn time.
It was only Sunday night as she sat on the mattress pushed into the far corner of her glorified walk-in closet of a studio apartment that she found herself listlessly refreshing her email and incessantly checking her cell phone – only to find no new messages in either medium. Now, really, it was ridiculous to think he was ignoring her on purpose; there was probably a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why he hadn't got in touch. A crappy family reunion or all that procrastinating on school work had finally caught up to him, or crazy Fresh Mart shifts or... something.
The salmon-haired girl (who really needed to redye her hair soon, this color was turning into a real drag) bit her lip and sighed through her nose, doublechecking the playlist one last time before clicking the 'Burn CD' button. Who cared if it was almost midnight? Considering how all he ever did was complain about how school starting so early should be a criminal offense, there was no way he was asleep right now.
And it wasn't as though he lived far away.
Sure, If his parents were around they probably wouldn't approve, but there were some pretty easy ways to get around this.
Content that the computer had begun the writing process, she stood up on her makeshift bed, stepping onto the dirty-sock-littered floor and picking up a pair of only-slightly-worn jeans and pulling them on over bare legs.
Late night adventures were the best kind, after all, she decided matter-of-factly. Sure, she could just wait until tomorrow, like a sane person, but... since when did Ochi Haruka opt for the normal option?
The tone signifying the completion of the mix CD chimed, and the drive popped out of her laptop excitedly. Snatching it out of the tray, she placed it into a plastic gem-case and set it down, pulling a sweatshirt over her head before grabbing her apology-slash-offering again. A final snatch of the keys off of her kitchen counter and a fresh cigarette tucked behind her ear, and she was out the door and off into the Tokyo night.
While she had been told that it was never a good idea to walk around the big city alone at night, she didn't really mind it. As long as she walked with purpose no one bothered her, and she stayed out in the brightly-lit main streets where nothing too shady could happen. Theoretically, at least.
A brisk 15 minute walk accompanied by a mental facepalm for forgetting her own music in lieu of the gem case she held in her hoodie's front pocket with both hands, and she had made it to the apartment complex without incident. Biting her lip once more, she found the bush that the brunette had pointed out to her once that marked the spot she should stand should she ever need to find his window, just under the fire escape. But... which window was it again? She frowned; he needed to put up some garish pinup over the glass or something.
Selecting a pebble from the cigarette-littered ground, she closed one eye and threw with her good arm, hoping the throw wasn't too strong and broke any glass, especially if the window wasn't his.
“What the hell do you think you're doing!?”
A cranky old lady's voice; clearly Haruka had picked wrong. Quickly, she scrambled into the bushes, hugging the wall directly under the fire escape until she heard the slam of the window again, but only after half-mumbled rants about hooligans and the corrupt youth.
It would almost be funny, if she wasn't afraid she was going to get the cops called on her.
“Maybe I should abort this mission,” she murmured quietly to herself, poking her head out again and surveying her remaining options. There was always tomorrow morning, and part of her was admitting that perhaps this was not the most intelligent of ideas she had ever come up with. But, at the same time, she was already here, and there were only so many windows she could try until she found the right one.
She just hoped she wouldn't get arrested before then.
Picking up another pebble, she squinted once more, pink tongue sticking slightly. She vaguely remembered her classmate grumbling about some bitchy cat lady living directly under him; perhaps her shot hadn't been so terrible after all. Drawing back her arm, she threw the tiny rock in a high arc, hitting the target perfectly.
..So it was only fitting that nothing happened.
“What the hell?” she growled. Either this was the wrong window, he wasn't home, or he was ignoring the noise. And that just wouldn't do.
Grabbing another pebble, she fired again.
