Unexpected Change [Kyoko/Moriko]

A soft sigh escapes Moriko as she closes the door to what was once her dorm room. For a time, she'd had a roommate, but the few times they'd come in contact with each other, it hadn't gone over all that well. Then for some reason, the other girl had simply stopped coming to the room all together. Moriko had a distinct feeling that she was avoiding her, though she couldn't be sure. Nor did she know the reason why. She, herself, only ever really uses the room to store her few possessions and to sleep. And it's not like she's a particularly messy person. So, for a time, she'd fretted about trying to make up with her roommate. But then one day she'd entered her dorm to see that the other side of the room had been cleared of any possessions. She'd then been notified that the other girl had actually transferred to another school entirely.

What was she supposed to do with that information? Did the other girl leave the school... because of her? Did she somehow drive the other girl away? She doesn't know if that's true or not, but she feels bad about the situation all the same. She'd had the dorm to herself for about a week, but then was told that they were transferring her to another room, with another roommate. Apparently, the school has a policy where every student has to have a roommate, unless there's a valid reason for them not to. Something about building character, fostering friendship, and other stuff the short girl hadn't really paid attention to.

Moriko did not have such a reason, so she'd been told to pack her stuff and to move into another room after school this Friday. Apparently there's another girl who had been left without a roommate, and she's to move in with her. Glancing down, she stares at the slip of paper in her hand. "Room number 105. Kyoko Kitamura," she murmurs softly to herself. She doesn't recall ever seeing the girl who lives in that room. But that's not all that surprising. Moriko keeps some odd hours, after all. She generally avoids the dorms during the busiest hours and only slips into her room the latest the dorm mother will allow. Sometimes even later than that, if she can sneak it in.

Luckily, the room is right across from her old one, so she doesn't have far to go. Another sigh escaping her, Moriko turns around and faces the other side of the hall. On her back is a large, dark blue day pack with brown cushioned straps. It looks like the kind of pack that someone would go hiking in. Strapped over her front is another backpack, this one a reddish brown, seemingly made from some kind of leather material. It's smaller and clearly for less intense activity. At her side is a large black roller suitcase. The handle's already pulled up. Grabbing hold of it, she rolls it to the door of the room on the other side of the hall.

Pausing, Moriko nervously tugs at the bottom of her shirt. She's still in her school uniform, much rumpled from a long day. The knees of her pants have dirt stains on them, from earlier when she'd been kneeling on the ground. Her outdoor shoes, provided by the school, are all scuffed up from much use. All in all, she looks rather disheveled, with her permanent bed head and rumpled clothing. But, she'd not had time to freshen up, since she'd put off packing until the last minute and had to pack her stuff quickly to get out on time.

And now, here she stands. No idea who is on the other side of the door. No idea what to expect. But hoping that she gets along with this new roommate better than her last one. Or at the very least, they could tolerate each other. Hopefully she won't drive this girl away...

In her left hand, she grips the slip of paper tightly. It sits, crumpled and slowly turning damp from the sweat of her palms. Swallowing her nerves, and steeling herself, she raises her right hand in a fist and sharply raps at the closed door before her.

Kyoko adjusted the last item on the shelf so that it was straight after she had moved it to dust. Then she stepped back and surveyed the room. Kyoko had just spent the morning cleaning the place up so it looked presentable to the new tenet about to move in today. Her old roommate that she hadn't really spoken to at all had left for reasons she was not informed of and now someone else was going to be living here. Kyoko had enjoyed the peacefulness of an absent roommate and hoped the newcomer wasn't rowdy. She, herself, had wanted to make a good impression too so that was why she had cleaned the place up. Cleaning was a simple job anyway, and she was well practiced in it.

So let's see... Everything was dusted, both beds were made and tucked in tight and neat, books were away, Kyoko's painting supplies were stored up in her closet, there was no clothes or food waste laying around, and the table was neat and tidy. Upon was a pot of tea and some cookies as a welcoming gesture. Yes, that should do for her arrival. Byrne Moriko-san. Kyoko knew nothing of the girl so far, at least beyond the fact that she had also been left without a roommate and that was how the move came to be. Kyoko had her hopes and fears about the possibilities of this roommate, but speculation accomplished nothing and so all she could do was wait. And look over the room one more time.

But before she really got started there was a knock at the door. Ah! That must be her! Kyoko hurried to the door, straightening out her uniform as she went. She took a steadying breath and opened the door to see Moriko for the first time. Appearance wise, the two seemed to be almost complete opposites. While Moriko had rumpled clothing and bed-head, Kyoko's uniform was clean and neat, her long, straight hair was in it's usual ponytail, also neatly done. And physically, Kyoko stood almost a full foot taller than Moriko. Her curvy body was noticeable in her uniform and, where Moriko tended to look younger than her fifteen years, Kyoko could be mistaken for older than fifteen.

"Ah, Byrne-san? I am Kitamura Kyoko." the girl introduced. She stepped aside and opened the door so Moriko could enter, "Do you require any assistance with your luggage?" she offered.

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Words - 410 | Tag - Moriko Byrne | Notes - N/A

For all Moriko knows, her new roommate could be out. Which would be fine by her, really. She could just drop off her stuff, get it in some kind of order, and skedaddle before the other girl even came back. They could get to know each other later. They'll be living together for a while, after all. But it's rude to just enter into a living space with a closed door. So she'd been polite and knocked.

Shifting nervously from side to side, Moriko leans her head closer to the door in an attempt to hear if there's anyone inside. Just as she does so, though, the door opens! Flinching in surprise, for she'd not heard the other girl's footsteps at all, Moriko takes a quick half step back. Where she finds herself staring directly at the chest of another, much taller girl!

Blinking in surprise, Moriko tilts her head up and back so that she can look into the face of her new roommate. Her eyes are still slightly wide from her surprise at the sudden door opening, her hair drifting untidily on her head and her slightly too baggy clothing sitting poorly on her thin frame. She stares up unabashedly at this stranger, her bright teals and expression solemn as she takes in the appearance of the other girl.

What she sees is actually a rather nice surprise. For standing before her, framed by the doorway, is a girl who looks very well put together. Unlike her own disheveled state, this girl's school uniform is tidy and sits upon her body in a complimentary fashion. Her long hair is tied neatly back into a ponytail, a few stray strands and her bangs softening her already soft face. And what a face! Full lips, long lashes, a soft smile. All of this combined just screams 'I am a Lady!'. Capital L and everything. All in all, she looks like the kind of roommate who could be either really nice, or really terrible. No in-betweens here.

Moriko's heartbeat rises along with her nervousness. She really, really hopes her new Lady roommate is the nice kind. She can't really tell at this juncture, for all she's done so far is stand and stare. As this realization hits her, the other girl says her name and politely introduces herself. And then she opens the door wider and invites her inside. Feeling her cheeks burning, Moriko hastily slips inside, being careful to not bump into Kitamura Kyoko.

A quick glance around the room makes it obvious which side she's to be on. Her swift sweep is interrupted when the other girl asks if she needs help with her luggage. Returning her attention back to her new roommate, Moriko gives a slight shake of her head.

"N-no thank you," she stutters out, her voice low and wavering. Her eyes dart away from the other girl, the slight red on her face spreading in her embarrassment. Rolling her large black suitcase to the foot of her bed, she wriggles out of the two backpacks. Dumping them onto her new bed, she turns back around and faces her new roommate. Dropping into a polite bow (just as her grandmother had taught her to do), she straightens up. Raising her eyes, she finally makes direct eye contact with the other girl. 

Brilliant teals meeting vibrant purples, Moriko gives a small, unsure smile.

"Hello Kitamura Kyoko, I'm Moriko Byrne. But you can just call me Moriko. I hope we get along."

Her voice tapers off into uneasy silence as she starts to fidget with the bottom of her rumpled shirt.

Kyoko tilted her head slightly with a bemused expression as the girl simply stared for a moment. Then she hurried past Kyoko into the room. Kyoko blinked, then thought the girl must be the shy type and closed the door behind her. She remained silent and let Byrne take in her new quarters. Byrne responded to Kyoko's offer of assistance in the negative, but stuttered as she spoke and looked away in embarrassment. She was pretty cute. Kyoko would probably have to take the lead on conversation. She could handle that just fine. The girl finished with laying her things down and proceeded to give a more formal introduction. Kyoko returned the bow with one of her own. Byrne also said Kyoko should just call her 'Moriko'. So informal! It was a little embarrassing but on the other hand it might be for the best. Kyoko wasn't confidant she was pronouncing the foreign name correctly. Moriko was a name she knew.

"Um, ah, very well... Moriko-san." Kyoko replied a little awkwardly and turning a bit red herself at the more personal address, "Ah, I made tea and there's some cookies. Would you like some?" Kyoko offered, gesturing to the table in the center of the room where a teapot and some cookies waited on a plate.

"Oh, and... welcome home!" she added with a smile.

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Words - 226 | Tag - Moriko Byrne | Notes - N/A

Slipping out of the bedroom that has become hers, Moriko finds herself glancing around the common room. There doesn't seem to be an abundance of decorations or wall art. Just enough to make the place feel lived in, but not anything that leaves a strong impression of personality. Kind of like the waiting room at a dentist or doctor's office. It's also very clean, which she greatly appreciates. Maybe she also isn't in the dorms all that much? she wonders as her attention returns to Kyoko when the other girl says her name.

A small sigh of relief escapes Moriko when Kyoko agrees to call her by her first name. Being called by her last name is something she's still struggling to get used to. Oft times, someone will call her by her last name and she just won't notice. At least, not at first. And then she comes across as either not paying attention or as intentionally ignoring someone. Both of which are rather rude. Which is generally not the case, but there it is.

Also, for native Japanese speakers, it seems her last name can be a but difficult to pronounce. Going with her first name just seems to be the best for all parties involved, in her experience. At least the bowing isn't something completely foreign to her, since both her grandmother and mother were quite insistent on teaching her and her brother proper Japanese etiquette.

Moriko doesn't notice the slight hesitation or awkwardness of the other girl when she says her name. Instead, her eyes are inextricably drawn to the table at the mention of tea and cookies. How she'd missed such a set up when she'd first come in is beyond her. Usually it would have been the first thing she'd of noticed. She decides to blame her nervousness around a stranger, and the anxiety that changing rooms has caused to rise within her. But so far, her new roommate seems to be kind and friendly.

Gaze darting between Kyoko and the tea set up, she feels anticipation rising in her. She hasn't had her after class snack yet, since she had to rush to pack the rest of her things up and move out of the old dorm right after classes finished. Granted, that was due to her own procrastination, but still, she now finds herself a tad hungry. Bright teals lighting up, she abruptly turns towards Kyoko and steps a little closer to her. Clasping her hands behind her back, Moriko looks up at her new roommate with eyes shining with with enthusiasm.

"You sure? I can have some?" she asks, the hope in her voice hard to miss. She rocks slightly onto her toes in her excitement, not even realizing she's doing it. Her previous nervousness seems to have almost completely vanished. When it comes to food and trying out new things to eat and drink, Moriko can become quite eager. Kyoko has found the shortcut leading to Moriko dropping her guard. Of course, Kyoko has also presented herself in a rather non-threatening manner. So that, combined with the addition of food, has hastened the process.

At the welcome home, Moriko rocks back onto her heels. A look of surprise crosses her face, before she gives a small, unsure smile in return to the warm one Kyoko presents to her.

"Um.. ah, thank you," she murmurs, her tone as unsure as her smile. It seems a bit of her nervousness has returned, but it's tempered by the promise of food. Once again, she finds her eyes drifting over to the table with said food and drink set out, quite enticingly.

Kyoko let out a small chuckle at Moriko's excitement over the prepared snack. She was happy that the girl was enthusiastic at partaking what she had prepared and hadn't seemed to have eaten anything prior. She also seemed to get embarrassed easily, Kyoko thought, as she watched her reaction to welcoming her. Had that been too much? Kyoko wanted to make her feel more comfortable but it seemed it had the opposite effect. Well, at least there was still the snacks.

"Of course. I prepared it as a welcoming gift for you. Have as much as you like." Kyoko replied with a smile. She, herself, stepped toward the table and then knelt next to it, fixing her skirt properly when she did. She flipped the teacups over and placed them on saucers, then lifted the teapot. With practiced precision she then gently poured some of the matcha tea into one of the cups. She passed that across the table for Moriko and then poured her own. Then she carefully placed the pot back. Her movements were all very methodical. While she didn't have the tools for a full tea ceremony and had prepared it ahead of time, she did seem to be treating it all like a miniature ceremony and served it with great care and delicacy. Kyoko smiled at Moriko brightly.

"And feel free to help yourself." she said, gesturing a hand to the cookies. There were a variety of different biscuits, including basic butter cookies to ones with chocolate and nuts. Kyoko didn't know what Moriko might like so she prepared several different kinds. They were all carefully laid out in a neat pattern that separated the different kinds so Moriko could easily identify ones she might like.

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Words - 290 | Tag - Moriko Byrne | Notes - N/A

A smile flashes across Moriko's face as Kyoko reassures her that it's all right for her to partake in the treats set out on the table. It's especially a relief to hear that she can have as much as she wants. Making her way over to the table, she takes a seat directly across from her new roommate. The table is lower to the ground than she's used to seeing, but thankfully there's chairs for her to use.

She's about to reach for the cookies, when Kyoko kneels down, ignoring the chairs, and starts to move the teacups about. All of the other girl's movements are fluid, precise and clearly well practiced. Withdrawing her reaching hand, Moriko tucks both hands under the table and in her lap. Normally she'd be kicking her feet back and forth, but this time her feet can actually touch the floor. It's rather nice to be able to reach the floor with her feet. Watching avidly, she doesn't say anything, instead opting to wait and see what Kyoko has in store.

Wow... so graceful! is all that she can think as Kyoko serves the both of them tea. Moriko has only been served tea like this a couple times in her life. And they were all by her grandmother, so she's never seen a young person do it. In fact, in her mind, it's something that only old people did. Seeing a young person serve tea in such a manner is a bit of a surprise. It's not an unpleasant one, though.

When the teacup is placed before her, Moriko leans forward and sniffs at it. She immediately recognizes the scent of green tea wafting gently up from the cup. A small smile tugs at her lips, for green tea is one of her grandmother's favorites. She reminds me of my grandma so much! she thinks in amusement. Mannerisms and all! But she doesn't say that out loud. Especially since she's not sure how the other girl would feel about such a thing. 

Glancing up from the cup, she catches the bright smile the other girl directs her way. Those dark eyes gleam in the room's light, filled with kindness and goodwill. Kyoko's sleek hair shimmers as she shifts around, her pony tail swaying at her back and loose strands drifting about her face. Her movements are small and gentle and in no way alarming. Everything about this Lady whispers of softness, warmth, and welcome.

She's so pretty! Moriko can't help but think, a bit dumbfounded. For the moment, she's at a loss of words, her wide eyes gazing directly at the vision before her. Giving a small start, she realizes she's staring, again. A small blush creeps across her cheeks in embarrassment, her freckles standing out more vividly against the red. Directing her gaze to the spread of cookies, she murmurs a shy "Thank you."

With food squarely in her sight, though, her nervousness fades. Surveying the variety, she nods happily to herself. She's going to be able to try so many different kinds of cookies! Without hesitation, she takes two of each kind. Carefully stacking her cookies into a pile on a napkin, she returns her attention to her new roommate. This time, she's able to look at her without getting too embarrassed.

"Thank you," she says again, her voice firm and expression solemn. Food is nothing to mess about with!

Pausing, though, she tilts her head to the side and stares quietly at her new roommate. She'd asked Kyoko to call her by her first name, but they never established what the other girl wished to be referred by. It would be rather rude to not ask, especially before accepting a gift. So she does.

"How should I call you?" she inquires, her tone polite. "First name, last name, nick name?" she tacks on, a bit belatedly. She always strives to be courteous, but the abruptness of her question, and her lack of conversational flow, could come across as otherwise.

Moriko still seemed nervous and shy, but she dug into the cookies, taking some of everything. She blushed and ended up thanking her twice. Kyoko smiled. It was always pleasing when someone enjoyed what you served, even if she hadn't actually baked the cookies herself. and taking them seemed to make for a good ice breaker as Moriko seemed to relax a bit with the sweets in front of her. That was good.

"You are very welcome." Kyoko replied with a grin. She sipped at her own tea, holding the cup with the same refinement and grace as she had shown while serving the tea. Then Moriko inquired as to what she should call Kyoko. That... was an interesting question. Kyoko hadn't said anything as she tended to just assume people would just use her surname as was proper. Normally that's what she would go with, but she had already agreed to use Moriko's first name. She did this because the name was easier for her to pronounce and she was a bit self-conscious about her English pronunciation. If that name even was English, she wasn't entirely sure. Now that it was brought up though, it seemed awkward to tell her she should call her Kitamura if Kyoko was going to be using her first name. But Kyoko had never had agreed to that before. It made her a bit nervous. On the other hand, they were going to be living together. It was a more intimate setting and a more informal relationship did make sense. She supposed she could try it out.

"Ah... I suppose Kyoko-san will be fine, Moriko-san." she said, turning a bit red herself now. It was just because they were going to be roommates. Nothing major.

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Words - 294 | Tag - Moriko Byrne | Notes - N/A

"Kyoko-san," Moriko repeats after her new roommate, her voice a soft murmur. Nodding quietly to herself, she looks Kyoko directly in the eyes, a small smile tilting her lips up.

"Okay, Kyoko-san," she says without hesitation. Her tone is friendly and firm, making it clear that that she has no reservations when it come to calling the other girl by her first name. Since it's something she's used to, she doesn't think twice about it. This actually puts her more at ease, for having to call other people by their last names is something she's not quite gotten used to yet.

Now that she knows how to properly address her new roommate, Moriko turns her attention back to the treats laid out before her. Reaching forward, she snags a darker colored cookie. Not waiting another moment, she takes a huge chomp out of it. Immediately the flavor of chocolate fills her mouth, the sweetness very welcome after the energy sapping tension caused by her nervousness. The crunch of nuts between her teeth adds a pleasant firmness to the chewy cookie. Teals brightening up, Moriko scarfs the rest of the cookie down in only a few more bites. Lifting up the tea cup, she takes a sip of the heated beverage. The crispness of the tea, with it's slightly roasted flavor, perfectly complements the cookie's sweetness. A soft hum of happiness escapes Moriko, for she hasn't had anything to eat for a few hours and this set up is the perfect treat.

Washing the last of the chocolate cookie down, Moriko grins up at Kyoko. A few crumbs stick to the corners of her mouth, but she doesn't notice.

"This is really good! Did you make them yourself?"