The sound of cardboard boxes, rustling clothes, and other heavier objects fills the room nearest the stairs of IWL's dormitory, a soft hum of no song in particular, footsteps and clatter.
Moving day had certainly proven busy for Kazuyuki, local insomniac who hadn't slept in several days again, whether that was the nerves of being thrown into a new building with new people, new projects, and new work, or his typical inability to find any sort of rest. Lucky him he supposed, as he set down the pothos in the windowsill, vines trailing comfortably down the wall, looking for more space to invade and spread to. A little extra light and comfort in the unfamiliar room, being filled with all his (or lack thereof) things.
He'd nearly finished at this point, carrying the box that had been filled with three plants to the corner of the room, right by the door with the rest. Easier to take out or put away later so long as he kept things neat, after all. And with only one box left, he'd see about breaking down the empty ones and finding a space for them to sit until he moved again, or throwing out the ones that wouldn't. The last box was the smallest, barely holding anything beyond odds and ends, and truly he could have just shoved these things into his backpack, but that had been full of scrubs for work when his box for clothes had left no room.
"Laptop," tossed almost carelessly onto the freshly made bed and piled blankets resting by the window, "novels," set onto the brand new desk, he'd find a better place later, "coffee mug," the desk as well, "sketchbook," desk, "towelsā¦" into the bathroom he goes, moving the hand towels to the small hook by the sink, the washcloth tossed to the shelf by the shower, he'd get it properly in place later, "andā¦meds," a hand takes hold of the three white capped orange bottle to place onto the sink, a small clink of object against porcelain as it settles into place. "Ah, look at that, I finished it all in one go, didn't even have toā¦push any of it off to tomorrow."
"Very impressive, Mister Yuki. It went a lot better than you'd said you thought it would. Should you celebrate with a nap?"
A small, huffed laugh, "sleep? No, I still have too much to do." Making way for the closet, he pulls off his shirt with ease, letting it fall into the little basket he'd be using for laundry, "need to call Miriam about my work scheduleā¦finish my bio paperā¦" A hoodie is chosen out of the hanging tops, nip of cold getting under his skin a little too quickly, wonder if it's possible to turn the heat up in just my room alone? "Water the plants, umā¦" Memory was evading him; he knew he should've written out a list of things to do before lack of sleep got this far. He always started missing things when it got around to this time.
"Maybe you should eat. I don't think coffee counts as a meal, especially not hours later. You must be starving." Oh, he hadn't really thought of that. It had been awhile, and his stomach was beginning to hurt. "You're probably right, I'll see if I can find anything then, andā¦if not, I guess I can order take out." Finally slipping on the hoodie, he lets out one final yawn, and hopes he looks presentable enough to the new neighbors he'd be living with for who knows how long. Let's get first impressions over with, I guess.
Bronteās shoe jammed between the new dormitoryās creaking door and the door frame as she hauled her luggage behind her. The wheels were rusted, squeaking like nails running down a chalkboard and her face scrunched up at the sound every time.
The door shut behind her, the brunette resting a fist against her lips while she cleared her throat. Brushing back her hair to sway like a shampoo commercial, she took a deep breath. Here, maybe she could start againā¦
āGood morning!ā She greeted the dorm full of strangers. With a practiced smile plastered on and a wave here and there, she prayed theyād like her. First impressions were irreversible. At least, in her experience they were. It had the potential to make or break the months ahead.
Her brown hair fell back down over her shoulders, hand tightly gripping the luggage handle as it dragged behind her, trudging to the elevator. āHow log do I hab to kep smilinā fer?ā She asked the gatekeeper quietly, her lips fighting to stay in formation even then. āNot a second longer, Bronte. It may come across as creepy.ā Her smart smartwatch responded.
Bronteās face snapped back into shape as she patted the life back into her cheeks with the warmth of her palms. She pressed the up button and stepped in, entwining her fingers behind her and rubbing the front of her rose red high heel shoe on the back of her other legās calf.
Ding!/ Stepping out, she was greeted by a much longer and emptier hallway. āRight, right?ā she turned in that direction, a hand shuffling in her pocket for the IWL pamphlet, pushing a notepad up and out onto the ground. She groaned and miscalculated her step forward, kicking the notepad further away. The color drained from her face as she watched it along with its secret contents slide under a door. She should have typed it up on her phone insteadā¦
Bronte crept over, carrying her luggage to avoid the giveaway squeaks. Checking there were no witnesses, she set the bag down carefully and attempted to pry the door open. āSuccess~ā Unlocked and with an accomplished smile on her face, she let herself in. She bent down, swiping her notepad off the floor and paranoid, she flipped through its pages to check all was in order. Settling on the last page, she went over her first impression foolproof plan once more from the top.
So, maybe food was going to have to wait. He hadn't exactly expected his first step towards the door from his bed to be interrupted by a flying notebook that ricocheted off his foot, nor the handle on the door to twist. Let alone a girl he had never seen before scurrying right in and snagging the lost item off the floor, flipping through it and staring at what she must've written inside. All seemingly without noticing that he was standing just a few paces away from her, that Astrophel, in his albeit small but very physical, tangible form, was peeking out at her from the open bathroom door.
And all he could do until the initial shock had worn off, was stand there and stare.
Did I miss the memo or something? I could've sworn these were private rooms, are they shared? Oh, oh god, what if they were assigned before we got here? Am I in the wrong one?
The bit of shock faded after a few more seconds, Kazuyuki's head tilting slightly while one hand moved back, rubbing awkwardly at his neck, struggling to find words that should be so simple but sat on the tip of his tongue instead.
"Umā¦" His hand dropped back to his side, cleared his throat a second later as if to try and catch attention, maybe make things a little less awkward, "I think there might've been a mix upā¦"
A mix up indeed as Bronte looked up from crouching on the floor, notepad still in hand and staring across at the unrecognizable pale haired stranger with eyes of starlight.
This was bad, really, really bad. Bronte was wearing her sisterās designer hand-me-downs and had followed her checklist to the letter but now she had screwed EVERYTHING up. She began to tremble, biting her bottom lip. Anxieties filled her head until she was shaking fully from head to toe like the temperature had dropped to freezing. She fit the bill for a stalker invading oneās room to take notes and do ācreeper things.ā That was not the first impression she was aiming for!
āIām s-ssorry, I thought this room was unoccupiedā¦ I should have knocked.ā She stuttered, trying to swallow down the lump forming in her throat. How does one breathe again? She stood up and clutched the notepad close to her chest to hide its next to useless contents and looked down to avoid reading the room ownerās judgment. Even if she ran off now, he had seen her and could identify her as theyād be dorm mates from this day forth. What should she do?! What was he going to do?! Perhaps make her life a living hell?
āIām sorry, this is so, so embarrassing.ā She shut her eyes tight and bowed her head several times, words heaved between the intervals that skipped some breaths due to the panic building up. āI didnāt mean it!ā āThank God you have clothes on!ā āI am sorry for in-int-intruding!ā Bronte got tongue-tied sometimes but persisted.
Apology after apology filled the air, an almost heavy rain of nerves and embarrassment seeping into every corner of his bedroomās atmosphere in waves off the brunette, the girl who he can barely catch a glimpse of between each flustered bow. This was, no doubt, not how sheād wanted her day to go, he could gather that much from this.
His lips parted several times as an attempt to speak, cut off in a breathās time as another apology or sentiment floated into the room, so many now that he almost felt guilty for somehow causing her this much panic over a seemingly honest mistake. It wasnāt like the rooms had name tags (or, not yet, he supposed) or a way to show they were already occupied unless you left out boxes or locked the door, so something like this was practically guaranteed to happen, maybe just once. Kazuyuki was glad for her timing anyway; he had just changed, after all, and had a feeling things wouldāve been much more awkward had she come in then. Is it bad of me to feel relieved that I didnāt end up in her position? Maybe, but he wouldnāt dwell on it. He had much more pressing matters at hand, likeā¦trying to get his new dormmate to take a breath, calm down, and smooth over this odd little predicament.
Between one of her apologies was when he finally managed, a quick, "hey, hey," to at least get her attention. "it's fine, it's fine, I promise. It was an honest mistake." A small, half smile, hopefully it was enough that she knew he wasn't mad over any of this. The last thing he wanted was to doom one of the relationships he'd have here to eternal discomfort and awkwardness, "It's not like you could've known it was taken, there aren't any name tags out, are there?" A small laugh, he shrugged, "guessing first day nerves? You're not alone, I tripped up the stairs on my way here and dumped one of my boxes everywhere," luckily, of course, no one had been around to see, but he supposed he'd ruined that secret embarrassment by confessing to it himself now.
A glance around the room, to where Astrophel lingered by the door and then back to the newly acquainted girl, of which he still didn't have the name of. So out came the small hum, the tilt of his head and debating offering his hand to shake, as if it might be too old of a gesture now, "Guess we can get first meetings out of the way for the both of us here now, right? Check one off the long list I'm sure we both have," a slightly crooked smile, trying his best to lighten the mood and hopefully make the other's day less miserable than it seemed to have started, "soā¦you can call me Kazuyuki. There a name I can call you?" He glanced to her suitcase a second later, "andā¦do you need any help getting moved in?ā
Bronte finally lifted her head, blinking a few times as she processed Kazuyuki's reaction. It was not anywhere near as bad as she suspected it would be, especially after how disastrous her previous dormās experience had been. āHaā¦ha.hA.ā She laughed, mimicking him in an attempt to play off the situation too, but her dried up throat of nerves wouldnāt allow her to as it was released in awkward bursts.
She was reluctant to cough up her name for him to remember her by, the weirdo that entered his room on day one no less! Her mouth trembled again but eventually relinquished it. Heād learn it sooner or later. āBronte.ā Her shoulders slumped in defeat but she managed a smile back in return. Kazuyuki seemed understanding enough? Despite her intrusion and inconveniencing him, he offered to not only overlook her fault but help her. āThat would beāā Her head turned naturally to where she had seen Kazuyuki look a few times, at the bathroom door and gradually downward at the small child? āH-hi?ā Although, something was off about them that she couldnāt quite put her finger on. Was it their clothes? Their unnaturally soft carved by the godsā face? She took a step back to retreat in her confusion, forgetting her luggage that was perfectly situated behind her.
He'd only just gotten her name, maybe managed to calm her a bit by the time something - or someone - else has struck her unease once more, though perhaps he should have thought to at least introduce Astrophel too, before he caught her entirely off guard.
Kazuyuki could see the step backwards, hear the light knock of foot against suitcase and the way it wobbled, toppled over itself before she seemed to be following suit, straight back towards the hard floor. No doubt that would leave a bruise, or several, not to mention the embarrassment she already seemed to be dragging herself through.
Before he could think it through, he was jumping forward from his spot a few paces away, wide blue eyes trying to reach for an arm, wrist, hand, something to hopefully stabilize her and keep her from dropping onto the floor. And hold of a wrist he'd gotten, just secure enough that he could've pulled her right back up onto her feet, but unfortunately for him, it seemed he'd overcompensated.
He felt his lost balance too late in an awkward step, in the added weight of Bronte before he can regain his stability, and a helpless, "shit-" is all he managed before the rush of air and flip of his stomach took both of them downward.
āShit!ā Bronte said in unison, albeit a little louder as they fell to the floor in a heap. The back of her head had hit the slightly ajar door as it swung open then hit her again like a boomerang. The back of her upper arm had smacked the luggage, the other side of her body unbalanced between it and the floor. She was scared to open her eyes. Hadnāt she embarrassed herself enough for one morning? And she was wearing a skirt that suddenly felt lacking. āPlease tell me nothingās brokenā¦ aside from my spirit.ā
The fall between them was less than graceful, no doubt. He could hear the sound of Bronte hitting the door, thudding onto the ground and half on the suitcase before he followed suit, the door swinging right for him. It was perfectly timed, the way the door moved towards him, practically colliding right with his face, and instead of being able to catch himself with it, the block of wood slams towards the bedroom wall, leaving him helpless once again.
Twisting midair was simply impossible he found, more so when the panic of a trip made him slow to think, and before he knew it he'd hit the ground with a thud of his own, an awkward heap on the floor with his brand new dorm neighbor. It was painful, he wouldn't lie, but his nose didn't seem to be bleeding and besides maybe a new bruise or two, he'd survive. Attention was more on Bronte anyway by the time her words reached his ears, and as his eyes opened as he pushed himself up off the ground, he could already feel the heat building up in his face.
To anyone who hadn't watched the fall, Kazuyuki's position would look nothing short of indecent, even suggestive, and yes he damn well knew that. Look at him go, trying to save her from further embarrassment and only turning it into full blown humiliation instead.
"God- God Bronte I'm so sorry- shit, let me help you up, are you okay?" A weak, almost exasperated laugh entirely to himself, "I-I totally missed, I messed up, you weren't supposed to end up on the floor, I'm so sorry."
At that moment, Jorji appeared in the doorway. āHey, Tannis and I were thinki-ā He said, stopping mid sentence. He hadnāt met these two yet, but it looked like they had more than met each other. A tall, white haired figure was bent over a shorter brunette, whose skirt wasā¦ āOH MY- I am so sorry, I didnāt mean to interrupt, I just-ā He stuttered, looking away and blindly reaching for the doorknob.
An unfamiliar voice was all it took to make Kazuyuki's heart sink. His chest constricted in an instant as his gaze snapped up, blue eyes settling on the black haired male in front of him, longer hair framing green eyes, falling onto some sort of hoodie with an anime graphic resting over the front. Color drained from his face in an instant; sure, he'd been worried about first impressions with everyone, but had he thought it could even possibly go this bad?
"Ah!- No! No, it's not- you're not interrupting anything! This was- this was an accident I swear, we tripped and-" As if anyone would believe a "we tripped" excuse. He wasn't stupid.
Ah, I'm screwed.
Her bad luck had spread out and claimed another victim along with a witness. Bronte sniffled, hiding her face with her hair like closing the curtains of a show. She had worn her classiest clothes only to become a 'class act.' Her first impression plan couldnāt have failed any harder or any quicker. Breathe in, breathe out, and simply, cease existing, she meditated depressingly.
Jorji sighed a breath of relief. He knew that this was college, and people were bound to āhave some funā, but for a moment he thought these two were getting right to business. āOkay, I thought you two wereā¦nevermind. Um, anyways, I was going around to everybody and saying that Iāll be hosting a room contest kinda thing, so we can all vote on the best room and get to know each other. Would you two be interested? Sorry, I donāt know your names.ā
The truth worked? It actually worked, again? Bronte gritted her teeth as she tried to shift her body, greeted by aching pains trailing her arm and down her tailbone. "I can't, I can't-I can't do this." Bronte muttered under her breath exasperated. She had already introduced herself after wandering into anotherās room uninvited and she couldn't bring herself to introduce herself again under this worse off set of circumstances. "Can I-I at least introduce myself standing and moreā¦ p-put together?" She asked, refusing to open her eyes still. Whoever the newcomer was, she didnāt want to be remembered as āthe girl found with a dude on top of her.ā No offense to Kazuyuki who was easy on the eyesā¦ exactly why she wouldnāt dare to open hers now.
He was rather shocked that the newcomer believed his panicked explanation, that was for sure. Anyone else would've taken what they'd seen, stuck with the first impression it gave them, and then run off to tell anyone else they could find about it. Or maybe, that was just what he was used to from his old high school. Still, it's a relief, even ifā¦ Heā¦really thought we were getting into it, in a wide open doorway, in the middle of move in day. Kazuyuki was not thatā¦tacky, sleazy, whatever, though he supposed he might've looked it right then. It's fine, it's fine. Crisisā¦kind of evaded. Not really, given Bronte was still stuck on the floor underneath him.
Panic and no sleep was certainly making him slow to move and make the important decisions, like helping her get back up and back together, "God, Bronte, I'm sorry, let meā¦" Moving off of her as quick as he could without making things worse or tumbling off to the side, he's back on his feet just a breath later, ensuring some stability before he offered both hands this time, half-pained half-apologetic smile in place, "let me actually help you up this time."
Bronte stopped shielding her face and her hands slid into his, accepting the offer and rising to her feet. She brushed back her hair with her fingers, brown eyes ping ponging between him and the darker haired dorm mate with green gemstone eyes. Her lips parted silently to form a perfect oval wondering if āmagnetismā was a prerequisite for joining the IWL project? Was she just an outlier in this experiment? She shook her head, effectively shaking the thoughts away. It would do her no good in the present.
"Thank you, Kazuyuki." She said, her fingers nervously fidgeting together after releasing his hand and its warmth lingered. She found it hard to maintain eye contact with him particularly after that fiasco. Throwing her hands behind her back to make her nerves less obvious, she turned and mustered a toothy grin over at the visitor before sharing her name. "Iām Bronte, nice to meet youā¦?ā She awaited a name, briefly distracted by her skirtās unevenness and smoothening it out to normal coverage. Also distracted by the notepad for another second that had escaped her again, quickly pocketing it before it could earn her more embarrassment.
Seeing their embarrassment, he could tell that theyād prefer he drop the subject. āNice to meet you Kazuyuki and Bronte, Iām Jorji. So uh, if you guys want to participate in the bedroom contest, then weāll probably do it tonight, so, yeah. Iāll probably make some sort of prize for the best room, so is there anything youād want to win if either of you won?ā
He's finally gotten Jorji's name then, Kazuyuki silently filing it away and promising to not forget it along with all the other's. How many roommates he'd have by the end of the day he wasn't entirely sure of, but he'd still try his best to not have to ask for names a second or third time. "Nice to meet you too, Jorji, umā¦" Sorry that this is your first impression of me, I guess. He kept to himself. It seemed he'd gotten the message that the topic of the situation was wanting to be dropped, and he'd be happy to leave that moment forgotten into the past.
Bedroom contest? His head tilts slightly at the name, tries to think through what it could be for, probably best decorated he assumed. Not that he had great confidence in his own skill of decorating, but he supposed his room wasn't too bad. Maybe he'd have a chance?
It was the mention of a prize that caught his attention most though, head tilting slightly as if he didn't already know what he'd like, "a prizeā¦" A glance back to his bed, already with its own collection of blankets, "some sort of blanket would be nice."
"It could be a āmoving inā hamper?" Bronte murmured quietly, wanting to contribute but not quite sure what her dormies were like much less what they liked. "A blanket could be included." She looked away shyly and fidgeted with the bottom of her blouse, pulling it down to cover her stomach more. "This place seems more empty than I thought itād be so maybe thereās stuff we didnāt account for when packing?" She explained, practically tying a knot.
Jorji nodded, taking note of what they wanted. Someone else had mentioned a blanket, he forgot who, so maybe heād do something that included one of those. āAlright, sounds good. Iāll ask the others and Iāll try to have something everyone will like, thank you two for your input!ā He quickly left the room, giving them some privacy to sort outā¦whatever it was they were doing.
"Donāt mention it?" Bronte said hesitantly as she watched Jorjiās form disappear around the corner. "Please donāt mention itā¦" she whispered, slumping her shoulders and thinking back on the embarrassing moment that was rewinding in the back of her mind, especially now left with Kazuyuki, again. She laughed nervously, forcing a smile on her features as she looked up at him. "I suppose I should get started or there will be no room of mine to judge. Hahaā¦" She restored her luggage to its upright position, the handle snapping off with ease after a bad twist. She shrieked, broken handle in hand and mouth slightly agape at her continuous bad luck.
With Jorji gone, it left the two of them alone again, a slightly uncomfortable air filling the room that he'd rather get rid of before it became a permanent resident in their interactions. Not that he had time to speak before Bronte shrieks, bad luck seeming to have continued its reign of terror. He winced slightly at the sight of the broken suitcase handle, metal bars waiting uselessly in their spot. Was she hexed or something? This amount of bad luck latched to one person was starting to become almost unbelievable.
"Bronte?" He managed a few moments later, brow quirking slightly, an awkward smile following, "if you're alright with me still hanging around for a bit despiteā¦" Everything, "...that offer to help you get things moved in is still up for taking."
Bronte smiled sheepishly.
RPG
