The text that she received... at least let her know that her intended companion was coming along as agreed, but Yuuki could not particularly say it set her mind at ease. Their situation was... complicated. Heād weaseled his way into her life despite all her intentions to keep her distance from anyone deemed āunnecessaryā to graduate. The school assigned her to her senior, so it made sense that she cooperated. It was academic and he seemed to take things seriously, he even corrected her before when she let her emotions slip and begin to dictate things rather than her logic. He was valuable, knew French, and was very professional in their interactions... but Rocco? At face value, he was definitely a distraction from her studies. Digging a little deeper, he had gotten her out of a few tough spots, namely during Archery practice when one of the girls nearly struck her. Heād convinced her to visit her family... to do something normal... but it didnāt feel like she deserved to act normal when her father was getting so, so much worse.
Regardless of her father's insistence that she live her life to the fullest... Yuuki felt an obligation to save him and she couldnāt do that by going to the movies and making friends. It was a waste of her time when there was so little left of his if he didn't get better, she couldn't lose him. So...why did it brighten her spirits, even a little bit, when Rocco made these plans...? Moments before the plans were made he was determined to intimidate her, had done... some undeniably questionable things to her at the time and since... then there was the interaction between her senior and this said classmate.
Did he have a problem with everyone? First Sora then Aeon, it seemed he had some sort of altercation whether physical or verbal with everyone else she had come in considerable contact with thus far. Her hand against her chest began to tremble so she once again tightened it. The mess she had found herself in... she wasnāt sure how to deal with it. She wasnāt accustomed to interpersonal relationships, especially ones as unusual as she found herself in. Yuuki always avoided involving herself with others since her fatherās illness turned her life upside down, but it seemed Airdalen refused to let her get by as she always had, refused to go easy on her. It was just so much easier to not get attached to others, to get distracted. She would only disappoint them, and in turn, get hurt by them. Friendships, hell, relationships in general... they only broke your heart in the end. Everything is finite, uncertain. It can slip through your fingers without a moment's notice, when everything seems fine, great even. Life... it is cruel, and this was her sense of control. Controlling who could be close. Her friends from her hometown, from before the illness... they hurt her. A lot. I just won't mistake this for anything. No expectations, no attachment.
So when Yuuki realized Rocco was standing before her, she jumped a little, having gotten too lost in her thoughts. H-How long has he been there!? After her initial shock, Yuuki noted that his breathing was a bit labored... did she not give him enough time to arrive? Oh crap. She didnāt know where he lived... maybe she really hadnāt! Pressing her lightly glossed lips together, Yuuki did her best to suppress the guilt that was building up. Apologize or not to apologize was truly the question. She was still ticked at him for his behavior during the fire... but he seemed to have winded himself.
Actually... wait. Eyebrows raising a bit, golden eyes locked on him. Did he wear glasses? Reading glasses? She didnāt feel like they were prescription... sheād never seen him wear glasses at school, not once. Not that she was particularly looking of course! It lookedā actually, never mind how it looked! Closing her eyes, Yuuki took in a small silent breath as if she could somehow reset her mind. She wasnāt actually a robot, couldnāt truly force herself not to feel things, but she never wanted the ability to do so more than in the days since she had met this headache.
"You're really cute."
Chewing on the inside of her cheek, the small girl slightly glared at him, but it didn't last as she was avoiding looking at him as much as possible... for reasons! They were in public, she liked to blend in with the crowd, didn't like being noticed, so this outfit her mother chose was just as much of a headache as Rocco was, "Not nearly as much as you think you are. Would you stop joking around?" she mumbled in the end. There were naturally pretty girls like Shiori who looked like living china dolls and popular girls like Cassiopeia that could work a runway, but she wasn't either of those.
"And I'm glad you kept the glasses."
"Wanted to match did we?" She shot back, indirectly calling out he did not normally wear them himself, and deflecting. She didn't forget the comment he'd previously made about her glasses either, but she wasn't going to justify her choice to wear them instead of contacts. It had nothing to do with him! Without saying anything he could potentially draw out of her words as incriminating, she managed to respond, at least, she hoped her words gave nothing away. She was choosing them very, very carefully.
"The train will be leaving soon. I'll get that for you."
When he grabbed her bag, Yuuki's lips parted to protest, but upon being presented with the book, she just as quickly closed them. A present? ...Why...? She was baffled by it. They weren't a couple, and their last interaction was certainly unpleasant. While she regretted how she handled it, she wasn't the only one that had a sour attitude that day. She didn't think he was going to come along anymore after what took place, let alone gift her the book that inspired the movie they planned to see. As much as she was trying to stonewall him, to bottle up any form of reaction he could amuse himself with, she did smile at this, and it wasn't the forced one she practiced to get by at school, "Arigatou."
Don't think too much into it... Don't. Yuuki scolded herself before making her way toward their train. They needed to get going. Stepping inside, Yuuki noted the ticket, then found their designated seats. The smaller blue and grey seats were not entirely what she expected. She was used to large seats that resembled pews in a church, they weren't nearly as boxed off from other passengers.
Rocco had her bag, so Yuuki sat down, the book he'd gifted her settled on her lap. Suddenly her heart was beating much faster, and she couldn't really decide what the cause was. Going home... was she worried she would run into old classmates? Scared to see the state her father was in? Or was she concerned that Rocco would do something inappropriate? Perhaps something else? She...couldn't place it, but she was quite uneasy all the same, staring down at the pink flats she wore for a second. What was she even supposed to say? Any compliment to his appearance would only lead to teasing... and she wasn't even sure if they had any common interests. She highly doubted it, but it wasn't polite to completely ignore a travel companion either.
He... wasn't straitlaced and nerdy like her, but his choice of clothes made him look approachable and above suspicion. Now she really did believe documentaries that claimed superficial appearances of serial killers fooled people. Her mother would totally fall for this. While he was no Ted Bundy, well, that she was aware of, Rocco was still far more dangerous than his current image gave off, He is a total wolf in sheep's clothing right now. He almost looks harmless, wholesome, or maybe he actually does and I just know better now... Yuuki thought to herself, giving him the briefest of glances with a sigh. She could already tell this was going to be a difficult trip. "So... do you ordinarily dress like this, or just trying to charm my mother?" Yuuki asked, unable to actually deliver a proper compliment on his appearance, even if he did deserve it. He looked nice like that, anyone with eyeballs could tell, but given their short but telling history and his mischief within it, it wasn't going to happen!
Charm: +1 to Rocco
Popularity: +1 to Rocco
Popularity: +1 to Rocco