Time Traveling Fashion (Melody! Shion!)

Imitation had always been something Shion was particularly gifted at. Pretending to be other people in order to keep the outside world at bay while she avoided awkward exchanges in doing so. In school she'd been a number of people along the way to Fukui, from a confident award-winning model to a quiet biker who didn't much like the look of peoples' faces. Fukui was still set to see the debut of her biker girl character regardless of what had happened outside of class. Meeting her roommate had made the brunette suddenly anxious to socialize; so the model had come out briefly before even that masquerade had been discarded equally suddenly. A foreign girl had brought out the Shion so very few people got to see. Just a kind of nervous girl who was shy and didn't think anyone would find her remotely interesting without a character. Turned out they were fairly similar and for the first time Shion was able to open her real self up to someone.

Melody. The musician who liked metal best and acted confident just like Shion was. They hadn't known each other all that long but she'd already made a huge impact in Shion's life. Oh the biker still came out for classes, but she was just her plain old self in the dorm room. Melody had shared the value of doing so during their walk after meeting. Over cans of Coffee Boss Shion had decided that she needed to share something with Melody. Something that represented the real her in a way that characters couldn't. That in mind she'd been more antisocial in biker form than usual so that she'd get back to their room quicker. Upon her bed was set out a kimono with hakama from the 1920s, some of the retro fashion her family had given her. There were actually two sets - one for herself to wear which was a little larger. Together they could travel through time by way of fashion!

"I just hope she gets here soon! Oooooh, this is going to be so cute!" Shion squeed at the thought of Melody in the outfit.

Melody's own time at Fukui had been filled with a lot of strange things - some good, some bad, some just plain strange. She'd gotten into a nasty verbal fight, she'd been hit with a volleyball, and literally run into about 3 other girls. She'd been way overloaded with homework, and been on what wasn't really a date exactly with a nice blind girl. Well, Melody hadn't counted it as one, nor had she thought of it that way. The most important part though... she'd found she had the most amazing accidental roommate. There were a lot of girls she thought she had potential to date if they shared the same tastes, but Shion's shy nature had a way of putting Melody at ease.

It was like, normally Melody was putting forth effort. For all intents and purposes, she didn't look or act shy, but it was draining, and Melody had a hard time dealing with more than a few people at a time. With Shion... it was different. Super different. She was just... relaxed. You know, beyond the whole fuzzy crush feelings she had had since the moment the two admitted not only did they both like girls, but they both found the other to be pretty and interesting.

How long did one need to wait before it was a good idea to ask someone something? Oh... wait... that's right. Melody couldn't ask Shion. Once she'd seriously considered taking a chance and she'd literally been unable to stop freaking out in her own head.

Melody sighed dramatially at herself, lowering her face so that her hair spilled down both sides. By then, she was at the dorm. Finally, the time she looked forward to the most - getting to know Shion better and doing all that stuff they'd talked about doing. She turned the knob and opened the door. "Oh, Hey Shion," she greeted with a small wave as she kicked off her shoes.

The sound of the doorknob turning indicated that there was a guest arriving at the home of the two shy girls. Shion's mind raced as she expected Melody to be the new arrival. As a biker she ended up getting a few fangirls here and there who'd swooned over her rescue of them from a bully or danger. Those were always so one-sided, another girl gushing over her savior to the point that Shion had to wear her mask all the time to hide her blush and keep in character. Like heck she was as amazing as their flowery words painted her! Biker Shion couldn't reciprocate the affection either since she was a tough cookie who saved those in need but kept distance from all.

Melody had brought out the real Shion, which made her nervous. Was this going to work at all? They had a lot common and there was no denying that the foreigner was definitely the kind of girl she dreamed of being with. A pretty girl like that was bound to find someone better than Shion to date anyway. If they were going to be roommates did that also prevent them from being able to go out with each other? At least she could be sure that Melody did in fact like girls the same way she did, since they'd confessed as much to each other. Seeing the blonde enter she thought the girl looked a little down for some reason. Could there be something troubling her? Shion decided the best way to ensure this special person had a good evening was to proceed as planned, bringing out more of her model character to play.

Shion was still in her school uniform as she aside to give a clear view of the clothes, "Hi Melody! Would you be interested in doing some modeling for me? Um.. or.. would you like to try on some old fashioned clothes? I think you'd be adorable in them..."

Doing some modeling for Shion? Melody instantly lit up red. Unlike The girl in front of her, she didn't have characters or masks, and unlike Shion, she had no real way of hiding it. The best she could do was run with it. They were friends and roommates, right? Of course she could do a bit of modeling for Shion! The idea of the two of them going out and Melody modeling for her in a more flirty manner flashed through her head, and she had a hard time overcoming that one.

"I uh, er, I mean, yeah sure," she nodded, glancing at the fancy old timey kimonos. The blond girl did think they were cute, and as embarrassed as the idea of modeling for a girl she kind of liked made her, she figured it would probably be fun. Dating was on the menu for melody... even with a roommate. Though one of them would have to gain the courage to first. Melody went to pick up the clothing, picking them up. "I've never put on a kimono before," she tilted her head. "I uh, might need help putting them on..." aaand the blush returned.

Modeling was something that Shion had no experience with and it was surprising that she should mention it at all to Melody. They weren't really going to be doing any kind of modeling with this little dress-up time. Actually it was much more likely to simply take the shape of wearing the kimonos as they did things they would normally do anyway. Shion had to rely on her model character to make her confident enough to propose any such activity, so it had probably just come out. Almost certainly! Not that she was imagining Melody wearing a kimono with hakama, posing demurely as her photographer (Shion) strolled up and took a strand of hair in her hand. Then with a sweet nothing whispered into the girl's ear ended up kissing her on the cheek.

Blushing like crazy, she held up the smaller kimono and explained, "W-well, here we go! I happen to be a bit of an expert so I'd be happy to help you put it on. You'll just have to get out of your uniform because it's going to get uncomfortable wearing anything underneath-" A nervous look filled her eyes before she could finish the statement, causing her to just smile helpfully as she turned redder still. Dating could be fun. She didn't know why that occurred to her but it did in the heat of the moment. Melody probably wasn't interested in her that way though, so.. just get dressed! "It's actually not that hard once you learn.. allow your fashion teacher to instruct you in the ways of traditional clothes!"

The clothes were traditional for Shion, maybe, but to Melody they were very much the kind of clothes one only really saw in mangas and things. Honestly, it was kind of exciting in a strange way. Melody had never been one for fashion or getting excited to wear random things, but at the same time she had always thought having a kimono would be really cool. Maybe that was what contributed to it, who knew?

Shion was turning rather red-faced for some reason while Melody waited for her to explain things. The exact reason why was revealed when she finished most of a sentence involving Melody getting undressed. Melody's own face turned red to match. They both knew each other's tastes, and the conversation they'd had on the first day went through her head. Neither had been flirting but there had definitely been some sort of tension in the air as they'd both sort of suggested that dating was an eventual possibility.

"Er, yeah. I'd hate to look stupid for wearing extra layers," she chuckled nervously as she quickly assumed the appropriate amount of clothing for the kimono and took the robe-like garment, throwing it on as quickly as she could. Melody could only imagine the exchange that might have gone on if they were dating, and much like what secretly when on in Shion's head... it ended in a kiss. Melody blinked the mental image away and looked up at Shion as she held the Kimono closhed with her arms. "So uh, what now? Tie it up I guess?" Was there more to it than that? Kimonos looked both adorably simple and deceptively hard to put on right to the blond girl. "You're the... the fashion teacher..." She glanced away nervously. Well, away was a generous term considering she'd avoided Shion's eyes since they both started blushing... but she was somehow more away.

Shion had honestly expected some amount of trepidation on the foreign girl's part when the idea was floated of disrobing. Granted it was a necessary step to be comfortable wearing the kimono, but doing so in front of another girl whom you were friends with was harder. Not the least because both young ladies had admitted that they liked girls and could see each other as potential dates in the future. They hadn't exactly mentioned the 'd' word directly but the meaning was understood well by both parties involved. The reality of the situation wasn't lost on the romantically minded first year. A pretty girl with a kind heart was changing clothes in front of her! In a daydream this would be where the gallant prince Sting stepped forward, gently carressed the girl's neck and.. well, kissing again was the end result.

Fighting a losing war of attrition to her blush, she decided it was only polite to avert her eyes as Melody removed her uniform. A lady shouldn't be watching a fellow lady disrobe no matter how desirable she found that other to be. Privacy was a boon not to be overlooked when you wanted to respect someone. Oddly, she realized it seemed as if Melody had avoided making eye contact since she'd arrived. Was she upset? Did she not feel well? Was Shion pushing her into this too much? Shion's concern got the better of her and she looked, right as Melody grabbed the kimono. Seeing her in such a state of undress would've given Shion a nosebleed in an anime; as it was, she bit her lip and waited for Melody to get the kimono on however roughly. Once it was done she took a deep breath to calm herself. A princess never liked being courted by someone who was over-eager about such things! Not that they were courting, right?

"Oh Melody.. it's rough the first time, isn't it?" she responded when she saw the slapdash job the blonde had managed. Shion giggled a little as she setpped forward and started to adjust the kimono a bit, "It's okay.. the first time I ever tried it was pretty much the same thing. You'll learn pretty fast once you know the tricks though." She was in good spirits but still avoided eye contact a bit as she focused on the kimono and not the girl wearing it. Then she stepped behind Melody, slipped her hands around the girl's waist and pulled the small obi wround. As she tied it off she gazed down into the girl's eyes, blushing as she remarked, "It suits you very well, Melody.. much prettier than me in fact.."

Then she finished, grabbed the overskirt (hakama) and set it up on the floor, "Um... n-now.. you need to step into this, and I'll tie it off once it's at your waist..." What was really going through her mind was how pretty Melody's eyes were; she wished she could look into them more often.

Melody had to admit... she did feel like she did a pretty bad job with the Kimono on her own. Had it been a simple robe or something, sure she'd have done fine. Just wrap and go. But... she hadn't even realized there were that many steps to a Kimono. She did her hair up into a quick ponytail as Shion went and adjusted everything. "I'll get it down next time. Maybe." She'd missed the part where Shion had seen her in her undergarments, thankfully, or she would have probably been even more nervous at the moment.

Once she was to the belt stage, she watched Shion's face curiously while Shion tied the belt while looking at her instead of at the job she was doing. Was... she gazing into Shion's eyes? Was it rude? Somehow, she couldn't look away though, despite her own nerves and blushing. It was like the perfect opportunity after all. "I can't imagine it suits me better than you..." Melody mumbled at the compliment. She hadn't actually meant it as a flirt; she just didn't think she was 'that' pretty. The way it might have been taken, however, caused her to clam up as she stepped into the hakama and pulled it up around her waist. '

Gah. Just ask her already...' A small voice in Melody's head was saying. 'You're roommates! What better chance to really get to know someone you like?' Melody gulped at her own thoughts, and she glanced away again as she tried not to mentally freak out again. Now was so not the time. Maybe in a movie... but it was so inappropriate to even think about while she was helping her to get dressed....

Shion was finding it increasingly difficult to be honest with her own feelings as she gently pulled the hakama up around Melody. Here was a girl who thought that she was attractive for whatever reason, who was complimenting even as she doubted herself. A blonde princess who'd come into her life with a smile and guitar, who was already fast becoming a friend. They could easily be much more than friends if both parties were willing with how Shion felt. Though it hadn't been very long spent together she felt their time had shown just how great Melody was. Even if she didn't quite believe it herself Shion was actually being valued as herself by this girl, not as anyone she pretended to be. Speaking of how she felt openly wasn't going to be easy at all, especially since these could just be emotions that were in the heat of the moment. It was time to let the model take control a bit while she battled with her thoughts over how to proceed with Melody.

"I doubt that, Melody. These outfits are made to enhance a girl's cuteness, emphasize her femininity in a classic way that blends traditional with modern. I'm too tall to be cute in any respect, and you're a lot cuter than me anyway. Well, pretty and cute, but you can pull off either when the time comes," Shion explained as she tied the hakama off at the waist. She took a step back, had her eyes go wide in surprise at how well it suited her roommate and smiled, "Yeah, that's great on you! It has the official award-winning-model seal of approval!"

Then she stepped forward and looked into Melody's eyes again, "Never let anyone tell you you're not pretty.. because if they do, they're lying. And a princess doesn't accept liars in her presence..." Realizing what she'd just called Melody, she blushed again and the model disappeared. In her place was the tall, awkward girl unsure how to proceed now that she'd tipped her hand as to her daydreams a tiny bit.

Too tall to be cute? Who'd told Shion that? Maybe in the fashion world or something... but Shion had a certain girlish charm about her that had nothing to do with whether Melody was taller or shorter than her. Or maybe that was her crush talking. Either way... She stood there for the moment as Shion went into model mode and started telling her all about how good she looked in the kimono.

Once she was done with that, Shion stepped forward and glanced into Melody's eyes once more, which caused the girl's cheeks to flush with red again, just as it was subsiding a bit. She told her very firmly to never let anyone tell her she wasn't pretty, because they were lying if they said so. That alone caused melody to gulp audibly. Was she starting to sweat a little? Maybe it was the kimono...

It was the next part that both confused and intrigued Melody. "A princess doesn't accept liars in her presence..." Wait... she was a princess now? Was that model Shion? No? That didn't sound right. That had slipped out from somewhere else. Melody clasped her hands together tightly. What did she say to that? She didn't want Shion to feel too awkward. It wasn't like being referred to as a princess was a bad thing! At least in this case...

Shion was suddenly rather awkward looking. Had she been daydreaming something? Maybe she had a thing for princesses. In that case, was Melody really a princess? Melody tilted her head ever so slightly. She needed to say something before her friend got too nervous. It was hard enough for her to express herself without being one of her characters, right? 'Just giggle and say something like you're flattered and it's no big deal. That should put her mind at ease!' Melody opened her mouth to do exactly as planned. "Ithinkmaybeweshoulddate." Wait... what?!

It was a quick downward spiral mentally for Shion after she let her guard down enough that the daydreams came through. Everyone who knew her outside this room knew her as the tough biker who said little and took no crap, or the confident model who was a beacon of femininity. Neither character had daydreams about princesses. Shion stepped back with her cheeks flaring up like a stop sign that had just been polished. Melody had to think she was weird after that. Well, weirder than just some girl who put up characters as her public face because she was so uninteresting on her own. Only one place was safe at the moment - her daydreams! Mentally she retreated into fantasy since that would be safer than standing there awkwardly in a dorm room with someone she'd wanted to like her but had just weirded out.

Instead of rescuing the princess, it was Shion who dressed like a European princess and was trapped in some high tower in the middle of a wasteland. Her gown was wide-skirted with long open sleeves, hair blowing in the wind of a storm that was likely coming on. Alone. That was what she was - simply alone in the middle of this wasteland, nobody there to save her. Then a huge crash sounded behind her, the door being kicked in! At this point Shion blinked and the fantasy returned to reality as Melody suddenly responded to her admission. What? That was hard to understand but it sure sounded like something in particular. Like she was proposing something which Shion hadn't expected would be brought up ever again.

Her face was still red as she looked away, bit her lip and a tear rolled down her cheek. Wait, a tear? Why were her eyes watering up like that? Shion knew what it was - she was being toyed with. Melody couldn't mean what she'd just said of course. It was just to make Shion feel less awkward in the situation. Best to move on, right? Shion turned her back and quietly disrobed as she focused on dressing up herself. Having Melody be the only one dressed like that wasn't fair after all. Without words she pulled her kimono on, tied its obi and then stepped into her hakama. All of it went smoothly as her expertise was displayed for her roommate to see. When she'd tied it off as well she turned around and got close to Melody again. Gently she placed her hands on the blonde's shoulders and stared deep into her eyes, searching for something.

"Do.. you really mean that? Nobody... nobody's ever wanted to do that with me.." Shion fidgeted a little as she asked, "You.. really like me? Because I like you.. and.. um..." her mind raced to think of something to calm the situation. What came out instead was, "I like to think I'm a princess sometimes too...." What?! She fidgeted more - this wasn't going well at all.

Melody was pretty sure she was going to implode. Literally, within the next few moments there was going to be a flash of light and she was going to be sucked out of reality from the sheer nervousness and embarrassment she felt. She hadn't meant to say anything at all. It was way too soon! They were still getting to know each other and everything. And yet the words had come out of her mouth like they'd been waiting to launch for awhile.

It was even worse when Shion just turned around and started to put on her own Kimono. Melody stared a bit, but not on purpose. She simply couldn't stop watching Shion for some sign that either she completely hadn't heard, or that Melody had embarrassed herself... or something. She didn't even have time to appreciate anything she was technically noticing, either perverted or from the expertise with which the girl put on the kimono.

When she finally spoke up, Melody was just standing there, arms hanging loosely at her side as she watched the girl with an obviously worried look on her extremely red face. Finally she asked if Melody meant what she'd said, asking if she really liked her and admitting her own liking. She also mentioned she liked to think she was a princess sometimes too... which was a bit confusing. It wasn't any more awkward than this whole thing coming up while they were playing dress up though.

Melody took a moment, but she nodded like a deer nodding at oncoming headlights. No going back now. "I uh, I do mean it," she heard herself say. 'Don't faint. Don't faint.' "I mean, I do like you..." Her mind was going a zillion miles an hour. She was thinking of a million things she could say right then, only to say... almost nothing. "... You'd make a perfect princess..." she mumbled quietly. 'Don't you dare faint, Melody...'

Validation was the one thing Shion always yearned for yet never expected to receive from anyone outside her family. Nobody ever thought that she was worth anything without the acting skills she'd perfected in middle school. Or at least became quite adept at employing in any situation that involved socializing with others. Now that whole worldview was being shattered by a girl she'd sworn up and down she'd have no chance with even if there were a mutual interest. A pretty girl had just confessed to her. In their shared dorm, while wearing taisho period clothes. Shion kept her hands on Melody's shoulders as she tried hard to process what she was being told, only to find it didn't make any more sense when she thought about it.

Shion nodded slowly as she realized that this was truly authentic and not someone toying with her. Melody didn't have a teasing bone in her body when it came to this kind of thing; Shion didn't know her quite that well but she did have a feeling about it. So a girl liked her. Just plain old boring gymastics-practicing-actress Shion Busujima, the first year who looked older than she was. Not even her daydream was being rejected. Melody complimented her on being a perfect princess at the end, which made Shion's mind up for her. This was something she couldn't just listen to, she had to seize it now! As Melody struggled with her words Shion pulled the girl into a hug as she fought back tears. Her dream might have just come true! Dating a girl for the first time!

"Um.. I'd.. be okay dating then. As long as you mean it," she whispered into the blonde's ear, "I've never done it before, so I'm gonna be kind of bad... but.. I like you, and.. stuff." She giggled as she thought of something else, "Hopefully 'Sting' doesn't have any admirers here, or we might get someone jealous of us.."

Melody's tradition of blushing during their most recent interaction continued as Shion pulled her into an embrace. She whispered that she'd be okay dating Melody, as long as she meant it. "I... Of course I do..." Melody insisted in a voice that was weak and yet somehow firm. Shion was worried she'd do a bad job as a date or something, which only caused Melody to decide she needed to give Shion a hug as she spoke her next words.

"I'm not worried about that," she told her roommate. "I've never even told a girl I liked girls... much less them before..." she released the hug after a moment, for fear of it becoming awkward. "I'm sure we'll both learn together, right?" How else would something like that work? Neither had dated before, and Melody was okay with that at the moment.

"Speaking of which, how's that gonna work?" Melody asked curiously. "With Sting and stuff I mean?" Was she dating Sting too? She hadn't really thought of that. Not that it was a deal breaker by any stretch right now, but it was probably still good to figure out. Also, what were they going to do for their first date?! Shion needed something that made her feel like a princess! She'd have to think of something quick. They needed to start off on the right foot, right? Even if they were both awkward Melody suddenly felt the need to try really hard.

Shion was very good at imitating different types of people and that continued here as she imitated Melody's penchant for blushing. Daydream after daydream had occasionally involved confessions. A rescuer confessing their love for the princess they had fought for the honor of. None of them had ever transpired as this actual one had, with both girls being awkward about it as they admitted they should date. Why did it feel so good then? Despite it failing to live up to the expectations of her imagination Shion was happier than any mental images had been. This was just herself being able to express herself openly to another girl. She felt much more satisfied knowing it was Shion and not any character whom Melody liked.

"Yeah.. we can both learn.. together. We're both really new to dating aren't we? Almost brand new," Shion replied, then giggled, "Actually, I've had a couple of girls confess to me before.. just not as me me. They were saved from bullies by Sting and for some reason decided that a lone wolf biker was worthy of their affections. It's really awkward when you have to tell them you're not interested.. and actually I just wanted to have people know the real me.. but I'm not interesting, so I have to be a character for them to talk to me.. and then strange things happen sometimes."

The question about those characters made her pause for thought. How was it going to work if Shion herself was dating Melody? Would that logically extend to her personae as well? Did that make sense for their character? Shion thought about it intensely before shrugging, "Well, I'd just assume that you get the full package when you're dating me. Sting and the award-winning model are just versions of me that I put out there so people think I'm interesting.. so by dating the real me, you date them all. Though I'll try to just be me when we're together, I promise. Also... um.. this'll sound random.. but what bands do you like? I kinda like Metallica myself..."

So Melody was dating all of the versions of Shion? She put a finger to her chin as she thought about that for a moment. Was that like... dating a whole bunch of people? Or just one? They *were* all Shion... they were just... Shion's characters or something.

Eh, who cared? Melody was suddenly dating someone! The thought made her a mix of giddy, excited, and extremely nervous. She had no idea what to do; none of her fantasies in the past exactly matched up either. She'd never exactly envisioned herself blurting anything out completely by accident while she was thinking about it... much less it working.

"Learning together... actually sounds kind of fun," Melody admitted to Shion thoughtfully. her mind started to go off on a tangent about what the two of them should do now, before she was brought back to reality yet again by a question of what bands she liked. "That's easy," Melody told Shion matter-of-factly. "It's hard to find music I don't like... but Metallica is definitely a good one. And Aerosmith. Stuff like that." She'd been spending a lot of time on youtube finding people who did guitar-related things and imitating them as practice lately. "Why?" she asked curiously as she realized she hadn't moved a single step since she'd asked Shion out more or less... well, except for if you counted the hug.

Unlike some things she did, asking about music had been a calculated move on the part of Shion.  She was still feeling the effects of awkwardness after they'd agreed to go out, and this presented an opportunity to change the subject.  Changing it to something less romantic on the face of it allowed her brain to get itself in a bit more order than had been the case previously.  Since she wasn't acting in character she was able to think more carefully about what she said and did as well; no reason existed to quickly think of motivations.  Besides this had the potential to arrange something for the two new girlfriends to do as a first date!

"I'm really glad to hear that you like Metallica, because that's one of my favorite bands.  Some girls in middle school thought it was weird that I liked that kind of music, but it really gets me pumped up when I need to study," Shion explained, sounding more sure of herself than she'd been most of this encounter, "But since you like music that could be a nice starting point for building a relationship.  I was thinking that a great idea for a first date would be to go out into town, maybe do some shopping at stylish places.. get some dinner... and then.. um.. do some karaoke.  It's even more fun if the people going have similar interests in music!"

"Oooh yeah. Like, any time I'm not talking to you I'm listening to Music!" Melody admitted. She added more sheepishly, "I... kinda never put on music when you're around so I don't miss a chance to talk to you... I'm that oblivious..." She laughed nervously, brushing her hair behind her ear. She swallowed nervously when Shion told her how they could build on their relationship with music, shopping, and dinner. A happy grin crossed her face as she thought of it though. "That... sounds like the perfect first date!"

Melody practically hopped up and down before embracing the taller girl in a tight hug. "I'm really excited! I've wanted something like this for a long time!" Melody was suddenly impatient for their date night. When would it be? The blond really wished they could already go on the date. She supposed doing this was fun too though. Well, honestly it really was. Playing dress up with her new girlfriend? Heck yes! Girlfriend was a weird thing to thin. Since when did she get what she really wanted? The fact that her parents wouldn't approve didn't even matter to Melody at the moment. "So uh... When are we gonna do that?" she asked after she snapped back to reality again. "I think I might have distracted us from the dress up thing a bit..."

"Really? Well I'm flattered that you'd stop listening to music just for my sake. After all it's one of the things you love the most isn't it?" Shion responded with a tug on one of her stray strands of hair, blushing at the exuberance with which Melody responded to her suggestion of a date. She really hadn't thought it was that exciting of an idea, and rather cliched at that. Still Melody was happy, so she was willing to put her own doubts aside. Instead of voicing them she added, "Maybe we could try sharing our favorite music with each other sometime.. like we take turns playing a favorite song.."

Then she was caught off guard by the blonde hugging her, which was still quite a surprise to the brunette. A few days ago she'd been Sting to the world at large, insecure at home and daydreaming about romance. Now she was being hugged by a girl who'd confessed to her and treated her like a princess despite her glaring inadequacies. Could they really go on a date? Right now? Shion hugged her back as her mind scrambled to identify what sort of outfit she should wear for that date. Then she replied, "Um... I didn't actually think that far ahead... but how about today? We've got no class tomorrow... would you mind if we changed? I think these would be a little warm for the weather right now..."

She blushed more as she realized, "Um... i-if you don't mind.. I .. er.. have... a dress I want to wear.... it's.. very princess-y...."

"Today?" Melody was obviously rather surprised at the suggestion of today. Enough so that her nodding agreement to sharing their favorite song never made it to a verbal one. About thirty seconds ago she could have instantly named which song she would share with Shion. Now she couldn't even think of anything except that apparently tonight was the night of her first date. "Today sounds good," she nodded nervously. The girl was right. The pair had no class in the morning, so they could stay up as late as they wanted and whatnot.

"We can change, yeah." Melody could have probably used more words, but her mind was racing. How in the world was she so close to her first date all of a sudden? She gulped at the thought. Did she need to be more careful where she was changing? They were basically both attracted enough to one another to date... but it wasn't like they were different genders... what was the etiquette for this sort of thing? Melody was a bit too nervous to ask, for fear of making it awkward. "It was fun putting these on though," she nodded as she started to undo the robe, turning away quickly and making for her closet.

What to wear? That was something Melody hadn't taken much time to ask herself in a while. Her things were pretty interchangeable, except her fancier stuff. Oh! That was it! Melody pulled out a somewhat short black dress she'd bought not long before moving down, in case she needed to be fancy for something. Now she was finally going to use it! She quickly and slightly awkwardly threw on the dress, deciding not to worry about whatever the etiquette was. She then started brushing at her hair. She should probably do some sort of makeup! but she didn't really have makeup... she'd always been told by her parents she looked better without it. Should she borrow some from Shion? "I'm... pretty much ready... for our date I mean." she decided with a blush, grabbing some black socks and matching sneakers to match the dress without having to walk everywhere in heels.