Ice Cream Social (Sophie)

It was finally the weekend, a time for relaxation and escape from the constant classes and a chance to leave the world of the school for a longer period of time.  Usually, Kekepania would do this by disappearing into her imagined world on the computer and spend far too long staring into the screen and the code of her universe.  This weekend was different though, she was actually going off campus physically.  The reason for that change was Sophie, her newest friend at the school.  Kekepania had been looking forward to this outing more and more.

But things could always go wrong and they certainly did.  She was having trouble in Japanese still, speaking was something she was getting better at but actually writing in the language gave her trouble.  The recent exam had not gone well and so she had to do some supplementary work for the teacher.  Not for the first time did she wish this was more like a normal school and she didn't have to live on campus, it made excuses a lot harder to get away with.  So she had texted Sophie to move the meeting a little later, promising to meet the other girl at the bus stop into the city as soon as she got out.

That was where she was heading now, walking quickly as she could without running.  She had, of course, stopped back at her dorm to change from the uniform into a lacy outfit with quite a lot of frills.  After all, she was stepping out into the public eye and had to be seen at her best.  It was the prerogative of royalty like her.  Unfortunately she hadn't been able to do much about her hair so she'd just let it flow loosely at her back.  Fashion was important but she wasn't going to let that get in the way of the ice cream meeting with Sophie, that was really important.

She slowed down as she came to the outer gates of the school.  She ought not be seen sweating and puffing and all out of sorts from running about.  She took a deep breath and brushed her dress down quickly in case there were any stray wrinkles amid the ruffles and then stepped out of the gates.  She glanced around for Sophie and, when she spotted her, waved and began walking towards the bus stop.  "Afternoon, Sophie." she called out, in Japanese mostly because her brain was still stuck in that mode after class.

A KNIGHT'S HONOR

Being an actress, being able to do your lines as a bit more vital. As a result, Sophie probably got a bit more practice at it - or at least, had to put more effort into getting it right. Whatever the case, unlike Kekepania, she'd gotten out of class at her usual time. She had rushed to her dorm room to change into something a little more suitable, when she got a text saying she'd be a bit. She'd simply shrugged, and took her time getting ready.

Being a casual go out, Sophie had initial chosen a casual number. Then she remembered that this was Kekepania, who'd probably dress to impress. She momentarily wondered whether she should bother with something a bit more formal, before deciding she should. Her friend's princess game was fun, and she wasn't going to break it. She lacked a suit of armor, but she did have something else in mind.

Sophie emerged from her room wearing a weather appropriate blue and silver coat, silver blouse, and blue skirt. Sporting buttons with a fleur de lys pattern, they was a slight knight aesthetic to it. Or maybe it was just the fleur de lys speaking to her Jeanne de Arc idolization.

She smiled when she heard her friend's voice,waving back as she approached, "Hey, your highness." she greeted her friend, resisting the urge to giggle, as she noticed her outfit. It definately wasn't typical, and she smiled, "That's a really cute outfit! Where did you get it?" She half expected Kekepania to say she made it herself. She knew how to sew, and she was a woman of many skills.

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"Oh, this, it's nothing special but thank you. I found it rather unexpectedly in, well it doesn't matter." It had been another secondhand store and that was not something she wanted to admit to anyone. "Of course, it didn't look like this, I added most of the ribbons and the lace fringes and all these frills myself." She brushed her hands down the sides of the dress and smiled. "It really does suit one of my status. But look at you." Kekepania said as she stepped in close to get a better look at Sophie's clothes.

"That jacket looks fantastic on you." The whole ensemble gave off a metallic vibe which, thinking about Sophie's choice in swimwear awhile back, was probably intentional. "It's missing something, I think." Kekepania pursed her lips and tapped her chin with a finger. "An accent, maybe a hairpin or something. We shall have to keep an eye out when we walk around town. Maybe we can find something with that flower symbol." She didn't recognize it specificially, while she had read about a fleur de lys once or maybe even twice in a history book, she'd never actually seen one.

"We've got all afternoon though so it's not like we need to rush." It was a celebration, after all, and that meant taking their time and enjoying every moment of it. Kekepania couldn't have been more pleased with how it was working out. Not only was Sophie great company who shared some interests, but she was somebody that Kekepania could speak more freely around. Not about real stuff, she had to keep her reputation, but in English. She didn't have to think about her words and fret over which one was right all the time. Being with Sophie put her at ease.

"Did you want to get ice cream first or just walk around town?" She asked.

A KNIGHT'S HONOR

Sophie thought for a moment, and it didn't take long to imagine a fleur de lys pin in her hair. The actress-in-training smiled, "Hey, that does sound like a good idea!" The fact that it was Jeanne de Arc related helped to - the fact she had the role had evolved Jeanne from a  semi-idol to a mild obsession.

Sophie couldn't help but feel a bit the same about Kekepania, as Keke did about Sophie. Kekepania provided a touch of America to Japan, and gave her a good chance to speak English to someone. Even with Japanese people who she knew were fluent in it, she spoke Japanese. Partly for the sake of being polite, and partly because she wanted to avoid fitting certain stereotypes.

"We should probably get some ice cream first." she mentioned. She knew Japan had some odd candy flavors, but this was the first time she'd been to an ice cream parlor in Japan. Even in America, you had a lot of choices, so she was curious to see what there was in Japan. Though she'd probably get something with Chocolate in it anyways.

She gave a slightly charming smile to Kekepania, as she waited to follow the faux-princess.

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Kekepania returned the smile with one of her own before stepping in close, not quite shoulder to shoulder with Sophie. "Then let us set off for ice cream." She announced lifting one hand with an official air and a fair bit of dramatic weight. Kekepania started walking, obviously with the expectation that Sophie would keep up and stay at her side. "How have your rehearsals been going, Sophie?" She asked as the pair moved along.

Kekepania was doing her best to make everything look easy, effortless. She wasn't looking around much as they walked, she wasn't scouting the area apart from an occasional glance at a street sign when they paused at a crossroad. That was mostly because she already had decided where they would go. More than that, she had virtually traveled the path already to make sure she knew how to get there, what to watch out for, and any troubles that might spring up. Nothing could go wrong, it wouldn't dare.

"I haven't made much progress with my actual coding bits of the game. It's been mostly decoration and making the world look a little less empty, and then remedial lessons are taking up some of my time." She said with an annoyed sigh. She had trouble with spelling even in English sometime, trying to figure out how to write in Japanese was like a million times harder. If only she could just stick to verbal tests. Well, she wasn't great at those either but she could at least pass.

A KNIGHT'S HONOR

As Kekepania signaled their departure, Sophie started off, side by side with her friend, keeping pace. "Pretty well! It's easier to throw yourself into a role you love, oui?" she told her, speaking in a tone imitative of a French accent, breaking out into a short giggle at the end.

Sophie pretty much blindly kept pace with Kekepania. While she wasn't aware of her friend having made efforts to memorize the path ahead, she was fairly confident her friend knew the way. Of course, she kept her eye out for crosswalks and moving vehicles, but she left the navigation part for her friend.

"Don't worry, take your time, just make sure it all comes from the heart." she mentioned. You had to put in a bit of your soul into every work you did. At least, that's how she understood it.

Her hand brushed Kekepania's accidentally, and she blushed just slightly, "Whoops, sorry about that!" she told her, with the faintest of blushes.

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"I'll have to take your word for that one. I don't know much of anything about acting but your accent is perfect." But it did make sense that things would be easier if you enjoyed yourself. Or, at least, it wouldn't feel as frustrating as you worked on it. That was similar to how working on her game felt. Sure, there were many moments where things didn't work or she screwed up some spelling in the code, but no matter how frustrating, she never felt like quitting.

The encouragement was nice to hear. Especially since she'd just been stuck in remedial lessons where it felt like everything was just constant nagging and criticism. Kekepania smiled and stood just a little bit straighter. She felt the slight touch of her hand against Sophie's. "Oh sorry." She said quickly, almost at the same time that Sophie apologized and then she laughed, slightly embarrassed. "No, it was my fault, I should be more pay, I mean, pay more attention." She'd obviously been paying too much attention to going the right way, how hard could it be, she knew where she was going. And this was an outing with her friend to celebrate her friend's accomplishments.

A KNIGHT'S HONOR

Sophie wrapped her erring arm around her own waist, as if chastising it for its mistake. She laughed alongside her friend, as she
made her mistake. Though she actually mistook it for an intentional
joke - it was just too perfect otherwise.

She briefly wondered how much further the ice cream place was. It
wasn't like she doubted Kekepania's navigational skills, just that she'd prefer to have sat down. She had spent a fair bit of time on her feet already today in class, so she'd prefer to cool her heels as she could for the rest.

(OOC:I... am not sure where the conversation should go)

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It wasn't too much further until they found the correct street. "Aha," Kekepania made a triumphant sound. "Not too much further now, I think." She glanced up and down the road and pointed it out. A rather small shop stuffed between a shop and an eatery. It was brightly colored and had some patio furniture set up outside, though that could have been more bleed over from the food shop beside it. "Knew I was on the right track." On impulse, and likely too much excitement, Kekepania took Sophie's hand and started walking even faster, not quite breaking into a run.

It was a bit ungainly and didn't really match her aesthetic, but Kekepania was much more interested in sharing some ice cream then worrying about her image. She'd regret that almost immediately once she stopped which she did just outside the front of the stop. She started to turn red as the shame caught up with her and, once she realized that she had been dragging Sophie along by the hand, turned full tomato. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I hope I didn't go too fast for you." Ugh, I'm so embarrassed." She brushed her hands off on her dress and turned her head away. This wasn't the way any sort of royalty ought to act. She wasn't a child anymore.

A KNIGHT'S HONOR

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A KNIGHT'S HONOR

Sophie blushed just slightly as Kekepania grabbed her hand to not-quite-run. She didn't quite say anything, though it was just slightly startling. It wasn't too fast though - Sophie wasn't Miss Athletic, but she was probably in a bit better shape than the throne potato faux-princess.

This little unimpressive place in the middle of nowhere was more promising that any flashy, corporation-crafted aesthetic. Chains could always get away with appealing to the least common denominator, but it was those little holes-in-the-wall that were the best. They were the ones making food from scratch from old family recipes.

Her attention returned to her friend as soon as she began talking, and a bit of the red on Kekepania's face seemed to bleed over to Sophie's, "O-oh, it's not any problem at all!" she told her, giggling slightly.

Sophie held her own hands behind her back, though her slightly embarrassed expression turned back to a smile quickly enough, "So your highness, is there anything you recommend here?" she asked, as she started towards the door..

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Kekepania drew herself together and raise her head in the air as if she was about to speak as some sort of expert. "The sorbets here are fantastic, with little bits of fruit in. It's wonderfully refreshing on a warm day and not too heavy." She was no expert at all but she had read a bunch of reviews of different ice cream shops when she was looking the other evening. She hadn't wanted to look ignorant in front of Sophie after all.

There's normal ice cream as well. Lots of flavors and some of them change daily since they make it here." Kekepania led the way into the ice cream shop and held open the door for Sophie for once. It was celebrating the actress' accomplishments so it wasn't too improper. Though as she did, a cool breeze seemed to billow out of the door, carrying the smells of dairy and chill. The clerk stood behind the glass counters wearing white paper hats and greeted them as they walked in. Kekepania returned it politely.

Along the top of the counters were sculpted models of the different sizes in fake cones and a sampling of other treats, cookies, chocolates, and even m Inside the counters, visible through the glass, were the many different flavors of ice cream. A separate glass counter had fewer containers but those were quite clearly the gelato and sorbets. There were significantly fewer flavors of those. The walls were sparsely decorated except for the large sign board that listed prices and specials, along with the flavors of the day. . On the opposite side were three small tables and uncomfortable looking metal chairs.

A KNIGHT'S HONOR

The sight and smell of an ice cream parlor did a bit to soothe Sophie's perpetually homesick heart. A little reminder that there was a slice of Americana, no matter where you went. "Why thank you, your highness." she told her, as she entered through the door, "There's a place like that in my hometown, but it's part of a chain." she mentioned, as she looked at the toppings.

"Hmm. Oh, they have a s'mores flavor! Back home, there was one of those chain places where you could get stuff mixed into your ice cream. I always got chocolate with graham crackers and those little mini marshmallows." It wouldn't be the same, but she'd still like to
try it.

She looked over to her friend, as she approached the register, "Do you already know what you want, or should I order first?" she asked her friend.

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"You're welcome," there was a brief stutter in her words as she tried to decide on the fly whether Sophie was more sir or lady in their current scenario, "Lady Daniels." It aide sense, she wasn't playing Joan of Arc right now and what was even the point of differentiating sirs and ladies when it came to Knights? She didn't know a thing about that part of the knighthood, Sophie could explain if Kekepania was willing to ask, but it felt like that would be showing off ignorance towards a subject that a proper royal should already know. So Kekepania kept with the blind stab in the dark.

"We had those back home too, probably the same ones." Kekepania said as she looked through the glass counter. "Ooh, I like s'mores, we'd sometimes have them as a special treat out on the beach during bonfire nights." Those were very special memories, her mother, her aunt, just enjoying their time on the beach at the setting sun with other locals. Sometimes they'd have a pig too, a real lu'au celebration. Kekepania was struck by a small ang of homesickness again. She had planned to get a coffee ice cream, something to look more grown up and distinguished, but she didn't want that anymore. "Oh, umm, you can order first." She said as she started scanning the counter again. It seemed there was not a pineapple ice cream, a staple flavor back home, but there were coconut shavings as a topping. Maybe she could work with that. But there wasn't mango either.

Ah, she found something in the sorbet counter. After Sophie finished her order, Kekepania stepped up to order a lychee sorbet cone with some dried coconut shavings on top. Then she pulled a small wallet from her purse to pay for both of their treats. After all, this had been her treat as celebration.

A KNIGHT'S HONOR

After getting her ice cream, the daunting choice of walking back or
sitting with ice cream in hand was upon them. Sophie had a pretty
good guess of what Kekepania would vote, so she walked over to a nearby table for two, and pulled out a chair for both of them.

Sophie took her seat, and began eating her ice cream cone. "Mmm, they know their way with ice cream." Little touches like this were good for her soul, a salve for homesickness.

She waited for Kekepania to get a taste of her own, before asking, "So, aside from your game and your art, what are you wanting to do? Any big goals?" she asked, curious as to what such an ambitious girl had for future plans.

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Kekepania took her ice cream and graciously thanked the clerk at the counter as befitted an upstanding member of royalty. Then she turned to find Sophie was already moving towards a table. It was the better choice, they could enjoy the ice cream and chat without worrying about paying attention to where they were going. And, of course, it was considered more polite to sit down and eat, rather than to walk around with your food when you weren't at festivals.

She sat down across from Sophie and took her first lick. The flavors were not quite reminders of home for Kekepania, but the experience of sitting in an ice cream parlor and enjoying the cold confectionery with another person wasn't too far off. Kekepania chewed on a thin strip of dried coconut for a moment before answering. "I don't know. I've put so much work and effort in to my game that I don't really know if there is anything else." She licked the cone again. "I just want to make an amazing game and be a famous game developer. After that, I guess I'll just make more games." She smiled, what else could there be? "What about you? Do you just want to act on stage or do you want to go to Hollywood?"

A KNIGHT'S HONOR

She pauses for a moment, she ponders the question, "Honestly, I think I'll stick to the stage. Sure, the silver screen is more glamorous. But I've gotten the impression Hollywood can be downright toxic. I think I'll skip over that, yeah?" she mentioned. She took another lick, "I think I'll stick to the stage."

"But you've got a great start, and I'm sure it'll get even better." she explained. She thought for a few moments, "I guess it's easy to fall into a sort of art-first ideal here. What with everyone here passionate about it, it's easy to find someone as passionate about the stuff you're doing as you are." she explained.

She giggled, "Honestly, I guess I don't have any big plans either. Not like there's much of a dating scene at the school, amiright?" she mentioned, a slight blush going to her cheeks.

Obviously she wasn't exactly aware that the school seemed to be a cosmic magnet of sorts for lesbian and pan girls, but that was besides the point.

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“That makes sense, I guess.” Kekepania didn’t really know how toxic Hollywood was, obviously there were stories but she hadn’t paid much attention to all that. It was so...out of her immediate circle of influence that it never really came into her mind. Far more personal were the issues in gaming, but then that was another reason for her to be going solo. She brought her ice cream to her lips and let the coldness rest against her lips while she thought.

Art first, that was part of it, right? She wanted to make the greatest game ever, obviously, but the money was a big part of that too. A game that didn’t make money wasn’t a success and money was just so important. It was hard to explain how much until there wasn’t any. Things were better now, but Kekepania knew that better wasn’t enough.

She licked the ice cream and then her lips. “I wish there was less of one.” Kekepania said, with some small amount of bitterness. “Holding hands, talking all cute at each other, getting in the way when you’re just trying to study in the library. They’re so annoying.” Even her own roommate had somebody. The last thing Kekepania wanted to deal with was somebody being all perky and happy about how great everything was while she was fighting with a bunch of buggy software and rendering errors.

A KNIGHT'S HONOR

"Yeah, I..." she paused, having initially thought Keke was talking about how great all that stuff was. A moment passed before she fit things back. A drip of ice cream on her finger quickly snapped her back to reality.

"Can't be much of one in the first place. Sure, there's probably a few lesbian couples, but how many could there be at one school, even an all-girl's school? They'd certainly be more visible though." Oh sweet summer child.

She crossed her arms as as she thought, "I mean though, if there was a dating scene, the boys would be going crazy over you." she blushed, scratching the back of her head, "I-I mean, you're a cute blonde gamer girl with a one-of-a-kind personality. Half the boys in any given high school probably would go head over heels for you, y'know?"

She finally resumed licking her dwindling cone, thinking, the red of her cheeks fading back, "But... yeah... does all that stuff really bother you?" she asked, a bit confused.

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Kekepania turned her cone around and started eating the other side of it, doing her best to more evenly make her way through the melting treat. "I don't know, I keep running into them. Or maybe it's just because of my roommate. Like, get a room that isn't connected to mine." She said with a huff. And she huffed again at the idea of boys going after her.

"Boys are the worst, god. Saying stupid things to you all the time and acting like I don't know what I'm doing. You can't play anything with a microphone online. And real boys are just gross. All hairy and they smell weird." Though Kekepania couldn't talk after the occasional day long session of stuffing herself in a small, hot closet to work on her game.

"They'd like you more, you're plenty cute, your hair is long and silky, and your eyes are so shiny. And you can act and stuff. Loads of guys would love to date an actress." She finished slightly more lamely than she had started. As for whether she found public displays of affection annoying, well, "I guess yeah. Like, why do I want to see some random people being all handsy and lovey-dovey? You don't got to prove to me you're in love, I don't care. It's like, I don't know." She sighed and took an actual bite of the ice cream which made her wince.