Event Finished Of all the things...

Romi

Romi

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Sudoku. Who even liked Sudoku? Sudoku was, as far as Naoko was concerned, a shitty fad that had plagued her very existence since the moment it was created. Like so many Japanese things, Naoko strongly despised the puzzle, and the fact that it wasn't actually a Japanese creation did little to dissuade her.

She'd decided--in a slightly passive aggressive manner--to solve the problem by introducing one Kylar Defan to the wonders of puzzles that weren't Japanese in origin.

Thankfully, despite the age gap he was actually also a student, making the entire exchange that much easier. Naoko had arrived early, grabbing a seat on one of the benches by a christmas tree and waiting for her secret santa to show up. Her own gifts were set in her lap--obviously books--but there was also a small clear holiday bag of cookies on top, wrapped up with a nice ribbon.

 
Sarrain

Sarrain

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Kylar had opted to use his female form, Kylah. Not so different from what he normally was, but sometimes a guy just wanted to look cute. Girls had so many cuter winter clothes than men. It never took Kylah long to get ready. Throw on some attractive clothes, don a fluffy gray scarf, and add a little makeup to her face. She was good to go.

Most people assumed Kylah was older than she really was, whether because they knew she was in her second year of college or because she came off too smart for a kid of seventeen. She liked that mistake. Stroked her overly inflated ego.

Kylah had made a special order for her Secret Santa buddy from Sugarpop Corner; best bakery in all of Manta Carlos. Admittedly, Kylah was biased. Afterward, she'd went in search of gifts. American pop culture? Kylah had never been to America, so that had required some research. She didn't get it, but whatever. A few movies later, and Kylah was on school property.

She sat beside Naoko and smiled pleasantly. "Naoko, yeah? Wow, hope I didn't keep you waiting long. Got you some coffee, didn't know what you liked, so it's basic." She held out the steaming cup to the other girl.
 
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Romi

Romi

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Naoko had lived every day of her entire life on Manta Carlos, and that meant a certain level of resilience to the weird. Someone from America or elsewhere in the world might have been confused or temporarily thrown off by the fact that a woman appeared, even though 'Kylar' was generally a male name. Naoko didn't even blink, simply smiling at Kylar-maybe-something-else and giving a wave.

"You're younger than I thought," she admitted, assuming that Kylar wasn't an age slider. "Aren't you in college?" That was what the form had said, but suddenly she was second guessing. They did know her name, so there had to be some connection, but a whole lot of her assumptions were coming out wrong.

She reached out, taking the coffee even though she didn't even like coffee all that much, and then rested it in her lap.

"I suppose that would match these," she said, using her free hand to grab the little clear bag and holding it up. "Homemade."

Not by her, because she couldn't cook if her life depended on it, but home made just the same.

 
Sarrain

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"I am, yes," Kylah said with a grin. Sometimes, looking pretty was Kylah's prerogative for taking their feminine form, other times, it was just to confuse people. It worked less here than it had other places.

"I skipped a few grades, is all. Lots of studying and natural intelligence." She tapped her head, getting out the presents she'd bought for Naoko and setting them on her lap.

"Oh, thanks, honey," Kylah said before reaching out and taking the baggie of cookies. She so much as opened the bag and tasted one after giving Naoko the tin of baked goods from Sugarpop. It was a festive tin, with a little red bow on it that Kylah thought was just darling.

"So, how do you want to go about this whole opening business? I got a few things for you here," she motioned to the wrapped gifts on her lap. "And," here Kylah pulled out a cute UP-themed necklace, "this adorable thing, which I thought you might like."
 
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Romi

Romi

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What was hte polite thing to do exactly? Drink it even though she didn't like it all that much? Or just politely keep it on her and dump it when she was done?

Probably the former, although she was going to try for the latter if possible.

She did feel like the comment about natural intelligence was a bit in bad taste, but she was just as aware that she was probably a bit oversensitive on the matter.

"Oh my god, that's adorable," Naoko said when she spotted the necklace, leaning forward slightly to get a better look. "Is that the house from Up?" She asked, well aware that the answer was almost definitely yes.

She hadn't really answered the question though, so Naoko quickly did that.

"I mean, I don't think it really matters," she said, holding out the gifts for Kylar to take. Inside, Kylar would find several photograph books, carefully picked out by Naoko's mother (who actually knew her stuff, unlike Naoko herself). On top of those, Kylar would find two different books of Hidato, which were sort of like Sudoku, only better in Naoko's extremely biased opinion because they weren't actually Japanese.

 
Sarrain

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Kylah wasn't catching onto any vibes Naoko was sending off emotionally; Kylah lacked the empathy required for that feat. She was reading Naoko's mind. Such an intrusion didn't show on Kylah's face, but it was helping to keep her smile in place.

"Yup," Kylah said, popping the p a hint. She knew that would be a good present. Kylah had never watched UP, but the necklace looked cute even to her.

Kylah exchanged presents with Naoko and carefully opened those given to her. She made a note of the puzzles and laughed, first only a little, but it quickly turned into an amused, manic thing. "Thanks. These are nice," she said once she'd calmed herself down.

Next, Kylah flipped through the photography books, trying not to delve too deeply as that would have been rude. She gave an approving nod.

The movies she'd gotten Naoko were a mixture of meme films (such as the Room and Bee Movie), classics (Gone With the Wind, Casablanca), and some new age movies. Kylah didn't know how many of those Naoko would already have, but really, beyond surface feeling, she didn't care.
 
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Romi

Romi

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"I wasn't sure what sudoku books you already had," Naoko said, "so I thought you might want to try something similar." What she'd said was true enough, it just wasn't the main reason she'd picked it. Every dollar that didn't support Japanese things was a dollar well spent as far as she was concerned, and even if her mother didn't have the same specific biases, Naoko had gone and done the shopping herself.

The laugh wasn't exactly easy to figure out, but after a moment Naoko decided that the laugh was simply a pleased sound, shrugging it off entirely.

Naoko tried not to look too enthusiastic as she tore into the packaging, flicking through the movies bit by bit. Her first impression was that, quite frankly, there were a lot of movies. Maybe Kylar had gotten them on a deal or something? Because if not, she'd probably spent a lot getting that many movies.

"Thank you!" Naoko said, grinning as she flipped through the movies. She had one--her mom really liked Casablanca--but the rest were new to her. There were even a few (somewhat embarrassingly) that she didn't even recognize, although based on the other titles she was pretty sure she should recognize them.

"I guess I need to have a movie night soon!"

 
Sarrain

Sarrain

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Reading people was so much easier when Kylah didn't have to rely on any form of empathy or body posture. Good, Naoko enjoyed her presents. She hadn't gotten most of them on a deal -- in fact, they had cost a pretty penny. Naoko didn't need to know that, however.

Kylah noted how much prettier Naoko looked when she grinned. Truthfully, despite a flirtatious nature, Kylah didn't have much interest where sex or romance was concerned. As a child, she had never realized how strange that was. Most of Kylah's interest in others, sexual or otherwise, could be explained with 'boredom.'

She clapped her hands once, grinning ear-from-ear. "Great! I'll bring the popcorn. Or was that not an invitation? I'd hate to intrude, but seeing you smile like that just brightens my day right up."

Kylah leaned over to sort her new things into the shoulder bag she'd been carrying. Something she'd bought on sale awhile ago. Theo, her brother, always commented that it was the perfect bag for sneaking food and drinks into the movies.
 
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Romi

Romi

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Naoko went from delighted to embarassed in a flash. She hadn't meant it as an invitation--not really--and her family life threw a wrench into the plan the size of a car.

"I -" Naoko blurted out, taking a moment to try and compose herself. She had to sound presentable. She had to... to, well, not do exactly what she was doing: Stuttering and going red in the face from embarrassment. Naoko was well aware that most people her age had a great deal more freedom than she did, simply by virtue of living in the dorms. Naoko didn't--she lived with her parents, and she couldn't just bring someone home without notice. Really, she couldn't just bring someone home at all. Her father got antsy around strangers.

"Sorry," she said, bowing quickly. "It's very nice of you, but I'm not supposed to have people over."

It was a very short way of giving the actual truth, considering the real answer would have taken ages and revealed more than Naoko generally did. "But thank you very much for the movies, and I'm sorry we couldn't watch them together."

 
Sarrain

Sarrain

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Kylah wanted to giggle as Naoko's mind jumped from thing to thing. Sweet, sweet information that Kylah didn't need or care for. Interesting, she supposed, if she ever met this girl again. For now, though, Kylah had pushed boundaries far enough without coming off like a complete unsocialized twit.

She accepted Naoko's bow, once the girl had composed herself, with a gracious smile and slight bow of her head. There was always that hint of smugness to her expressions.

Naoko's utter politeness was surprising. Kylah tended to act polite as a way of slipping under the radar or making things easier, not harder (as was the case with Naoko right now). Why did people feel the need to dance around an issue to spare feelings? It was all a little pitiful to her.

Kylah stood up and smoothed out her clothing needlessly. She smiled again at Naoko. "Enjoy the movies and the coffee, Naoko, it was nice to make your acquaintance."

-End-​
 
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