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[12:07] <Karo> It was a bright and early morning near the end of exam week, with the sun peeping over the edge of the still-sleepy town of Katashiba. A morning just like any other. And yet… something was amiss in the 5 Soejima Road dorm. -
[12:15] <Karo> An unfamiliar figure in black skulked through one of the hallways. He wasn't especially great at skulking. On tiptoe, he stepped on every creaky floorboard he passed, and when he found his destination, he didn't bother to close the door behind him. Any average passerby would note that there was something clearly off about that room - Hideki's bedroom - if they happened to walk by it and spot the mysterious skulker pawing through dresser drawers and closets in search of valuables.
[12:18] <Dinah> The figure probably thought that nobody was going to be up at the hour. It was a fair assumption, of course, just not a correct one, unfortunately for him.-
[12:19] <Dinah> Not long after he started his search, there was another figure in the doorway, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed over her chest. Dressed in a windbreaker that was zipped up over her shirt and a pair of running shorts, it was clear what Dinah had been planning. Though plans ended as soon as she heard the intruder.-
[12:22] <Dinah> "You got five seconds to start running before I rip your head off and take it to the basketball court." Despite her threat, which sounded very real, there was nonetheless an amused smirk on her lips as she waited for the reaction.
[12:25] <Karo> The reaction was to freeze up for a moment or two, before slowly turning around with wide eyes. -
[12:26] <Karo> The intruder was Karo Nakajima. And he was holding a graphic t-shirt with a ridiculous googly-eyed mascot baseball plastered on it. -
[12:27] <Karo> "Sh-shit. You're the punchy one, aren't you?"
[12:27] <Dinah> She didn't seem surprised.-
[12:29] <Dinah> "That's me." She sniffed, moving to crack her knuckles. "What're you up to, Ace?"
[12:34] <Karo> "Obviously, I was grabbing some stuff. And trying not to wake anyone."
[12:34] <Dinah> "I get that. But you know you can come any time, right?"
[12:37] <Karo> "Yeah…? Hmm." He glanced back in the closet. "I don't have a key, so that's not exactly true. Roy let me in."
[12:47] <Dinah> "Fair. But not exactly the point I was making."-
[12:47] <Dinah> She pulled away from the doorframe then, taking a couple steps in to look around. "You need some help?"
[12:50] <Karo> "No, it's ok. It's just gonna be a few things that are easy to wear. Those dumb nurses were all, like, 'You should wait until he's awake before bringing extra clothes'. But he's probably gonna wake up any day, now, and then where would we be?"
[12:55] <Dinah> "I getcha. And yeah, I figured he'd be awake by now. But he's just waiting for the right moment or something, I bet."-
[12:56] <Dinah> She flicked her wrist and thought for a moment. "He's gonna want some of his looser stuff. Gentle fabrics. Stuff that's easy to slip on."
[01:02] <Karo> "Like what, a bathrobe? Does he even own one of those?"
[01:04] <Dinah> "Well, yeah. He'll want actual clothes too, though. I dunno if he actually owns one, though. This is the first time I've ever been in his room."
[01:18] <Karo> Karo seemed slightly surprised by that, judging by the eyebrows he slightly raised. Quickly, he started going through the closet again. "I thought you guys all hung out a lot."
[01:21] <Dinah> "Not really a lot." She shrugged, crossing her arms again at that.-
[01:21] <Dinah> "We went for runs together a few times, I took him to the Arcade a time or two. Usually when we were talking about…y'know. All this."
[01:31] <Karo> "He didn't… like… flirt?"
[01:32] <Dinah> She snorted.
[01:38] <Karo> "Hey, I'm being serious, here!"
[01:39] <Dinah> "I know. That's why it's funny."-
[01:40] <Dinah> She just shook her head. "Your brother never made a move on me. He's not that dumb."
[01:41] <Karo> "He's pretty dumb," Karo pointed out. "So I'm not convinced."
[01:44] <Dinah> "Trust me. You'd know if he made a pass on me. I'm the punchy one, remember?"
[01:47] <Karo> "That you are." He eyed her punchy fists. "Do you box or something?"
[01:52] <Dinah> "I have before. I'm in the Wushu Club at school but I've done a little bit of a few different arts."
[01:57] <Karo> "Makes sense. You were hitting guys when you were fighting at Red Rook's place too."
[01:57] <Dinah> "It's pretty fun, not gonna lie."-
[01:58] <Dinah> She cleared her throat after that, demanding a little bit more of his attention fairly clearly from the action. "So you're still not over that stuff, are you?"
[02:02] <Karo> "Oh please. It's been almost a week. I'm fine."
[02:08] <Dinah> "Yeah, I'm fine too. You saw just how fine last weekend. Don't bullshit me."
[02:26] <Karo> "Yeah, well, maybe I don't feel like talking about trauma today. I've got teachers suddenly pretending to care about me because of the fallout from it, and suddenly I'm being pushed to join clubs and meet new people. It's exhausting."
[02:30] <Dinah> Dinah nodded to that and then took a step forward, patting him on the back lightly.-
[02:33] <Dinah> "Alright. I get it. If it helps, when we did hang out, he didn't even come close to trying to hit on me. Actually, we just talked about you at least once."
[02:48] <Karo> "Yeah?" Karo pulled something out of the closet. It was long and made of red velvet. A smoking jacket of sorts. Shrugging, he tossed it onto the bed. -
[02:48] <Karo> "So I'll take you at your word. For now. You really got him into an arcade?"
[02:50] <Dinah> She grinned. "I got him to skip school to go to an arcade."
[02:52] <Karo> "Impressive!"
[02:53] <Dinah> "It wasn't a bad afternoon."-
[02:54] <Dinah> "He never take you to one or somethin'?"
[02:57] <Karo> "Not… really. It's not like there was one too close to our house. Besides, I had a game console."
[02:59] <Dinah> "Ain't quite the same. I miss Arcades whenever I head back to the States."-
[03:00] <Dinah> She pulled her phone out to bring something up in a few moments, showing him a route from the school to the Arcade she and Hideki had gone to. "One not too far from Sophia. We can go there sometime if you want."
[03:02] <Karo> "Yeah? Well, all right. I wouldn't mind that."
[03:04] <Dinah> "Got all kinds of fun games there. Some of the light-gun ones, too. Just wish it was as easy to shoot my shotgun as it is those plastic ones."
[03:08] <Karo> Karo tilted his head for a moment, then the confusion cleared up. "Oh, right. You're American, right?"
[03:12] <Dinah> "Yep. Burned some bridges back home so my mom sent me all the way out here for school thinking that was going to change things."
[03:21] <Karo> "Did it work?"
[03:24] <Dinah> "Nope."
[03:27] <Karo> "…is your mom pissed about that?"
[03:29] <Dinah> "My mom's too busy to be pissed about it. It ain't like she cares too much in the first place. She just doesn't want what I do to reflect badly on her."
[03:57] <Karo> "Hm. Ever think of running away?"
[03:58] <Dinah> "Not really."-
[04:00] <Dinah> She had to think about that for a moment, as it wasn't something that had ever really hit her mind. "I don't usually run from things. More like I run at things."
[04:04] <Karo> "Doesn't that complicate things?"
[04:05] <Dinah> Dinah let out a little laugh and shrugged.-
[04:07] <Dinah> "Some people would say that, sure. I don't really care too much. Life throws a problem in your way and you smash through it to get ready for the next one. People tell me I'm the one making those problems. I tend to disagree."-
[04:08] <Dinah> "Though…" Her mood dropped rather suddenly at a thought, something that she clearly tried to shake off. "I guess some problems aren't quite that easy."
[11:15] <Karo> "Like what? I mean. There are a lot of problems that aren't that easy. But it sounds like you mean something specific?"
[11:21] <Dinah> "Like….things I ain't cool to talk about yet. And things you ain't cool to talk about yet. We both have 'em."-
[11:24] <Dinah> "If y'ain't ready to face 'em, you can't take 'em out. Applies to a lotta shit. But we always get there eventually. I guess."
[11:40] <Karo> "Sure." Karo pulled out another t-shirt - this time, one without baseball images on it - and tossed that onto Hideki's bed as well. -
[11:44] <Karo> "All it takes is time, right?"
[11:52] <Dinah> "That's what they say. But it's kinda bullshit. Takes you time to get ready to face it, I guess. But that's just half the fight."
[12:01] <Karo> "What's the other half? Grit? Timing? Courage?"
[12:08] <Dinah> She shrugged. "If I knew, I'd tell ya." There was a dry chuckle with that before she sighed.-
[12:09] <Dinah> "When you figure it out, how about you tell me? Because Hideki's gonna wake up sooner rather than later. And you're gonna have to figure out how you look at him when he does."
[12:16] <Karo> "Tch." Karo wandered back over to the dresser and pulled open a drawer. He shut it again just as quickly and with a glance in Dinah's direction, opened drawer #2. He added some pants to the clothing pile. -
[12:19] <Karo> "I know that. I wouldn't be here if I didn't already know that."
[12:21] <Dinah> She minded her own business as Karo went to the drawers, turning her head to the side, away from the vantage for it.-
[12:21] <Dinah> "So what'd you decide, then, if you already know?"
[12:22] <Karo> "That I'm not gonna overthink it. Things might be different when he wakes up. Or they might go back to being the same."
[12:23] <Dinah> "Hm."-
[12:24] <Dinah> She gave it a few moments. "He wanted to be a good big brother, y'know. He just didn't really know how. Probably still doesn't."
[12:27] <Karo> "He wasn't always terrible at it. Or, maybe he was, and I just couldn't see it until lately. I don't know."
[12:29] <Dinah> "Well, if you want things to go back to being the same, then you just keep doing what you were doing. We saw how that went. If you don't, then help him out."
[12:31] <Karo> "Do you have a brother or sister?"
[12:31] <Dinah> "Little gremlin of a brother, sure."
[12:34] <Karo> "Do you make much time for him? Check in on him? Hear him out - like, really hear him?"
[12:35] <Dinah> "No."
[12:42] <Karo> "You could. You know?"
[12:43] <Dinah> "I could. If my little brother wasn't a constant reminder that my mom dropped my dad when he couldn't work anymore and got knocked up by the first guy she went after. Or maybe she didn't even wait until after she dropped him."-
[12:44] <Dinah> There was venom in her voice, clear as day, and she didn't try to hide it or hold it back. But it was just reserved for that part of the conversation.-
[12:44] <Dinah> "The difference is that Hideki likes you. He wants to be your brother and he just wants you to like him."
[12:49] <Karo> "Do I have to like him, unconditionally, because he wants me to like him? It's more complicated than that. You of all people have to know that."
[12:53] <Dinah> There was a little crack of a smile at that as she rolled her shoulders. "Well, you got me there. You don't, no. I just think you want to like him."
[01:04] <Karo> Karo exhaled sharply, a little frustrated noise, and went back to the first dresser drawer. He pulled a wad of something and threw it onto the clothing pile - boxers. Ones with an orange-colored heart print. -
[01:05] <Karo> "Whatever. I've got a lot to think about in the meantime. This Shadow Market place, for example… you get there through the old Temple School, right?"
[01:20] <Dinah> "Yeah. I'd wait for someone to take you there before goin' by yourself, though. Take Roy, at least."
[01:25] <Karo> "Someone who knows their way around it. Yeah. That'll make the trip easier."
[01:31] <Dinah> "Yeah. If not Roy, then Kurata. She's been there a few times more than I have."
[01:43] <Karo> "It'll be a regular field trip," Karo sighed. He searched for and found a spare duffle bag under the bed and began stuffing the clothes he'd selected into it.
[02:05] <Dinah> She made her way for the doorframe again and leaned against it, waiting for him to finish up. "You want me to walk over with ya? I was gonna go for a run anyway."
[02:09] <Karo> "I don't mind. It's up to you, though."
[02:11] <Dinah> "Alright. Let's go whenever you're ready."
[02:12] <Minaplo> The Tower and Magician Arcanas strengthenā€¦

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