Skylar Miller's Story

As they stood and regained their ground, Tadashi's eyes would slowly recede back to purple as they talked. Which would confirm her suspicions that his eyes changed color. He had a lot of people ask him about his eyes in the past, they drew quite a crowd in Canada being an interesting topic of discussion. All that Tadashi could chalk it up to was genetics, that's all it was. His eyes were just an anomaly that they change colors the way they did, but to his surprise he wasn't the first person to have this condition. From what the doctors said, Tadashi was the 13th recorded case in the world which he found fascinating. Watching Arietta expression and body language he began to get a tad bit concerned that he was being 'overly formal'. He always wanted to be kind and polite due to his less than pleasant former years, but Tadashi was never one to consider himself 'proper' as what some would expect people of nobility or high status among Japan's elite. His family was well off, but not compared the likes of Aeon or Cassiopeia. But that was enough comparing himself to others, he focused back in on his new date Arietta.

"I eagerly anticipate getting to know you better as well, both on and off of the dance floor." Tadashi smiled brightly finding her comment charming and cute. She was rebutting his own polite mannerisms, in a playful tone. He appreciated this, adjusting his posture showing that whatever Ariettaas doing, was working. "You give me too much credit, you have been dazzling company as well." Tadashi nodded appreciateively but ultimately shrugged off the compliment feeling her's to be sincere. Tadashi wasn't one for over-flattery and praise of individuals. He began to wonder if he himself was going a little overboard on the compliments and made a mental note to keep more track of what he said. This was all done without ignoring or delaying his conversation with Arietta hearing loud and clear her statement while in mid thought. "I have to jet if I want to get a nice costume prepared. If you don't mind, I could add you on social media? Which do you use the most? I'll send you a friend request if that's not too forward." ]"Facebook, I use facebook the most. "I look forward to hearing from you, Kio-kun." "Until then Arietta-chan." Tadashi waved back politely and moved to the boy's locker room to change. He was relieved that he didn't have to sweat really during P.E.

As he changed he began to organize his routine for the rest of the day, making adjustments such as how long his music practice should be and what costume to get. He walked absent-mindedly through school managing to dodge everyone until he was tapped on the shoulder by a teacher and instructed to head to the office. He blinked growing slightly concerned but followed anyways all of his thoughts being derailed on what new things the faculty might need of him. Once in the office he was given the run-down on the situation. Tadashi was already being assigned a new junior. They elected to give him a reason why, but he declined it. Tadashi figured that whatever reason it was for, it was most likely worth it and maybe even personal. So long as everyone was alright he could make the change. "Skylar Miller.... that name sounds very western." He looked at her picture and stopped walking. He had to take a moment to make sure he saw everything clearly then sighed only to ultimately smile and laugh softly. "They certainly give me the interesting ones... I'm looking forward to meeting Skylar. She at least looks like fun. Hopefully not too much trouble." Tadashi took his role as a 'senior mentor' quite seriously. He somewhat saw himself as an older brother looking out for a person younger than him. He needed to find this Skylar girl- which honestly shouldn't be that hard, given her looks. After that he was confident that they could find things in common. Shutting the file he held in his hand and placing it in his satchel bag, Tadashi left the school heading out to the train station. "Should I cut drum practice by 30 or 45 minutes? I'll have to shorten cello that's for- no. I'll just cut out guitar entirely today." He rode on the train going downtown with a small smile on his face.
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Charm +1 (Arietta)

Sora's eyes flickered open as he stirred awake, overhearing voices surrounding him from all corners of the room. He had been dreaming of flying across the skies, touching the clouds and travelling alongside a flight of ducks in v-shaped formation. Sora loved the sky, loved being named after it.. and randomly remembered that an english exchange student with a name similar to it, would be arriving to stay with him and his small family today. Hopefully, the student (Skylar) would be just as pleasant as the upper atmosphere he admired so much.

For now, the main issue at hand was his physical state. Sora noticed that he was no longer in harm's way as he lay on a bed in the school's infirmary. The stubborn red-head (Saburo) was also not an individual present among the few students who joined him. Contrary to the typical victim, Sora was actually disappointed that his attacker was not around for his awakening; that nuisance owed him an apology and perhaps some laundry chores due to his bloodied up uniform. He dreaded his current appearance. It simply did not suit him to look like some common thug. His mood lifted a little as he recalled he was still in PE uniform and there was a blood free set in his locker that would suffice.

His eyes wandered over the others in the room.
The blonde-brunette (Rhys) he recalled talking to moments before passing out was the only male present. He deducted that he was the most likely to have brought him here and was grateful. He reminded Sora so much of Taro; his ex-boyfriend. The way he moved and spoke was of an identical demeanor. Nonetheless, Sora knew his comfort around the tall boy was misguided out of familiarity and comparison with someone else. He (Rhys) must be a different person entirely. For a brief moment, Sora wondered if he was mistaking the two men because he missed Taro but that thought was quickly shaken off. He did not love Taro after all.

Shiori Kitogawa, a familiar face from his classes. Although they had never held a conversation worth mention, he was not clueless to her presence whenever she entered a room. She was beautiful but much like him, her social circles were practically non existent. There were always rumors circulating around Airdalen and the rumors on them both were one in the same; they both liked to talk more than their peers would care to listen. It was a wonder that in all their school years that neither of them considered becoming allies.

Then there was.. Yuuki Fujioka, a junior girl he had met as a consequence of the incident. She had been honest with herself and her feelings when approached by the bully. Why was that? He was intrigued. From what he had observed from his classmates, most would refrain from such situations.

Despite being acquainted with everyone in the room on some level.. he felt strange. He couldn't understand why they were present and why they hadn't left him. Looking at the clock upon the wall, Sora knew that class had already been dismissed and school was over. Did they not hear the bell? He was totally dumbfounded. He had only known lovers and his maids to attend to him in this way. He sighed but it quickly turned into a coughing fit, making his presence known. Breathing was still pained.

+1 Popularity [Shiori]
+1 Charm [Rhys][Yuuki]

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Meanwhile..
"Woah, Japan is full of people who look all the same! I must've seen the same person at least 5 times. Holy moly." Skylar had her face pressed against the glass window of the taxi cab as she took in the sights of Japan from her seat. She was absolutely ecstatic being in an Asian country for the first time. She had intentionally picked a country out of her comfort zone for the thrill and adventure. Pops; as she called her father would not be accompanying her travel as well for the first time. In Skylar's mind this meant she was free to do whatever she wanted without supervision. She had always been a daddy's girl having never met her mother but still.. This is going to be great! I'll stand out like the star on top a Christmas tree at this rate.

The woman next to her let out a hearty laugh interrupting the excited highschool girl's thoughts. "You and Sora are going to get along just fine." Skylar leaned toward the white-haired woman out of curiosity, with only her seat belt to restrain her from closing the distance between them. Her eyes twinkled and widened as she started to play with the maid's fake neko ears. "What is this Sora like anyway, dame?" The maid never got around to responding as she attempted to swat the active girl away from her prized cat ears. "Stop that! That hurts you know?!" The maid demanded. Skylar laughed and chaos ensued, resulting in quite a tangle in the backseat. Her arms were eventually forced to her back by the older woman in the manner of a criminal about to get cuffed.. only she was upside down in her seat. "You're fun." Despite the awkward position and seat belt entanglement, Skylar was still somehow comfortable and able to laugh off the scenario. The Harigae family maid could only sigh knowing this exchange student was going to be more of a handful than Sora.

"We've arrived" The taxi driver announced before turning around in his seat to finally realize the chaotic passengers he had escorted. Oddly enough, he didn't show any sign of surprise. Skylar wiggled out of her predicament and leaped outside the door with vigor as soon as the maid had released her; as if freeing a bloodhound that was on the hunt. With her arms in the air as she landed on her feet, she yelled. "Woooohoooooo! Hellloooo Airdalen!" The students remaining on campus after the bell looked at her funny as the girl strutted her stuff like a model on a cat walk. Skylar was strange and proud of it. Now where do I find the office building.. Unfortunately, she could not be proud of not thinking ahead.

Bishop kept his eyes on Mai as they both walked together towards the front gates. “I-I’m w-well. U-um I h-have. I-i’ll b-be a w-wolf g-girl.” Bishop smiled thinking about the costume,he blushed a tiny bit finding the thought of her outfit as cute seeing as she was so small. He quickly wondered what his costume was going to be, remembering the million and a half texts his family was sending back and forth to each other currently. <Ugh, I hope it's nothing lame... I am NOT going as a penguin again this year.> His mental rant was interrupted having to side step a person that almost backed up into the two of them, helping to usher Mai around the person. “Ah T-Tran-der-san? A-are y-you s-still a-atten-attending t-the d-dance?” "Hm? O-Oh... uh-" “I-i re-remember y-you t-talk-talking w-with A-Akira-k-kun and i-it se-seemed l-like y-you i-invi-invited m-me as-as w-well. U-um i-if y-you-you’re s-still g-go-going . . . m-may I-I j-join y-you t-two?”[/color]

Bishop's eyes widened listening to his smaller friend (Mai) ask him the question. He suddenly felt bad for considering not attending, Mai really seemed keen on going to the party especially with him and Akira. If he didn't show up, it would feel like he ditched his baby sister which just thinking about twisted a knot in his stomach. Bishop sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Ahh, what would make you think I'm not going? Hehe, it sounds like a lot of fun and it would be a great place for us to meet new friends or learn more about our friends. And yes! Me and Akira would love to have you with us, not that you're an after thought or anything. We're friends after all.". Friends. He genuinely meant that. Bishop could make casual friends fairly easily, being as kind and soft spoken as he was but he never really had a 'best friend' to speak of. On account of him moving so frequently. "Whatever the exact rules are for getting in, we'll all stick together. No matter what" Bishop would give Mai a thumbs up and wink to reassure her.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw flash of color then a girl's voice shouting out. "Woooohoooooo! Hellloooo Airdalen!" He blinked seeing some girl (Skylar) he's never seen before- he knew that for a fact because no one in his life ever knew in his life dressed like that- began to strut their direction. "Eh? Are those.. Horns?" He looked her (Skyler) over from head to toe out of astonishment and the biological need as a young male. He was fairly unique with his 'western' features but the girl with black hair, pink and blue highlights and accessories matching the same color some farther down the scale on 'uniqueness'. He was wondering if she was a student here and if so, would she be allowed to wear such... Extreme clothing accessories? He was a bit conflicted though deep down inside. Something about the girl was very interesting, something that screamed she was 'out there' compared to himself who he considered rather plain and normal- underwhelming even.

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"That's right blondie! You should speak up a little louder." Skylar said playfully as her footsteps lead her closer to the blonde boy who commented on her horns (Bishop) and the small fry with him (Mai). She gave them both a showy side preview pose with one leg tucked under her bottom and her hand raised by her face in the shape of scissors to draw attention to her bright pink eyes. "I'm Skylar and don't you forget it, kay?" she winked almost flirtatiously while grinning from ear to ear. She had such a lively aura about her that she was almost glittering. While vibrant, she had forgotten her manners and the traditional Japanese custom of calling others by surname unless closely acquainted.

She dropped her leg to stand proper, placing her hands on her hips as she leaned boldly towards the blonde boy for inspection. After one minute precisely, she did the same for the small fry (Mai) before breaking out into hearty laughter with her head up towards the heavens. Skylar was amused by their shyness. She was not afraid of getting up close and personal at all. The blonde struck her attention for his comment and stand out foreign hair color. The small fry on the other hand, was the complete opposite of her but it was interesting that she had snagged a boyfriend..

"He's quite a catch of the day, small fry. Blondes are AMAZE-ING in bed I hear." Skylar assumed the both of them as a new couple and Skylar, never goes back on her assumptions even when proven wrong. She had always been single but she was not clueless to the activities couples undertake. Skylar was curious but she had not met anyone interesting enough to even consider that way. None of them were simply strange enough. Also, nobody had ever offered and who could blame them?

Planning to leave the two birds alone to build their nest, she decided it was time to split. "So... before you two get busy where's the office around 'ere?" she asked while moving up and down on her heels with her arms folded behind her back. Her head turned left to right rapidly as she took in the sights. Skylar's long locks of hair swayed with her movements, uncovering and showing off her spiked earrings. Excitement for this new foreign place could not keep this girl still.

The music was doing wonders for the girl's mood, but when Arietta looked up from the small electronic device that her oceanic eyes had been fixated on, she noticed her junior heading in her current direction. Under ideal circumstances it would have been a perfect time to apologize, that is, until Arietta noticed the small fry (Mai) that accompanied her junior partner. Unwilling to speak in front of an audience, Arietta made a mental decision that Bishop and herself would just simply move past the trust exercise incident silently, without addressing it aloud. It wasn't like Arietta could bring it up at the dance and she refused to bring it up tomorrow and risk coming across as pathetic or obsessive.

The time spent climbing up the ranks was not going to be ruined, she would not be labeled psychotic. The last thing Arietta wanted was for everyone to think that she spent the entire time worrying about something as trivial as a trust fall, because honestly it wasn't a big deal. Though now that her mind was on the trust fall, she suddenly remembered the scent of Tadashi's cologne, bringing a bright blush onto her cheeks. Thankfully, no one was paying attention to her, so she immediately shook the thought and ran her fingers through her hair as she attempted to avert her thoughts to something far less embarrassing before her junior or anyone else noticed her presence.

She absolutely hated gym class, yet somehow...she really enjoyed today. Suddenly she felt optimistic. It's not like we're romantically invested in each other... I'm sure Bishop didn't even notice I was gone. Arietta was certain that Bishop knew that the two of them would never happen, and besides, he was quirky... She was sure that he managed to find another partner before the end of class, and if not, she knew that he was quite athletic, if the swimming presentation taught her nothing else. She was confident that he could easily make up the grade on another day. Honestly, this entire junior partnering plan was exhausting, she didn't lie the whole idea of having any junior partner, because lugging around a baby just wasn't in her agenda.

What was a trust fall worth anyhow? She didn't truly trust anyone, her own family included. A trust fall was nothing compared to the secrets that she kept, or possibly those of her other classmates. She wasn't sure what the others were hiding, but it gave her a sense of comfort to think that her secrets were not the darkest. She knew that she was probably the shallowest out of her classmates, but she was fine with that as long as no one knew about it.

Arietta also noticed a girl with a rather eccentric look about her, quirking a blonde brow as the girl passed. She wasn't really interested, but she wondered how a girl thought she wouldn't get made fun of by dressing like that. She heard Bishop ask if the girl was sporting horns, and Arietta couldn't help but lightly snicker. However, before she could join the conversation her ride pulled up and she waved casually to Bishop and his short companion (Mai) before sliding inside of the car after her young and handsome chauffeur opened it. His hair was similar in shade of that to Akira, but that was their only likeness. The butler was around six feet tall and had piercing crimson eyes and a cocky smirk, but when looking at Arietta the expression shifted to a kind smile. Arietta rolled down the tinted window, so that everyone could see her as she addressed the silver haired man standing on the sidewalk, "Shopping center. I have to procure myself a costume for the evening's dance. Let's get going, Kou." She ordered in a posh manner before rolling the window back up, once again concealed by the black tint on the glass.

Without further hesitation the butler bowed to Bishop and the two girls accompanying him (Skylar and Mai) and returned to the driver's seat before driving off with Arietta. He knew that the girl would spend a considerable amount of time picking out this evening's attire. Part of him was cautious, worried about her, but the rest of him was thrilled that the young girl was going to be able to be a normal girl, even if only for one night.

When the two made it to their destination, Kou exited the car and once again opened the door for the blonde heiress. Arietta stepped out and began her walk towards the first shop she noticed with Halloween decorations. Kou sped up and opened the door for her, and Arietta stepped inside and began to examine the costumes. Nothing really caught her eye, until she spotted a priestess dress. The dress seemed to reach around mid thigh, not too short but not prudish either. She pointed towards it, seeing as she was far too short to reach the article of clothing on her own. Kou reach up with ease and removed it from the rack and gently handed it to Arietta. She examined the cloth further, not even paying attention to the price tag. It was the Yen equivalency to 299.99 US dollars! Arietta strutted towards the changing room, beckoning Kou to follow her. Once inside she quickly stripped down, with Kou waiting on the other side of the curtain. She seemed this as a poor excuse for a room, but it wasn't that she minded. Kou was at least twenty six, far too old for her so she didn't deem him to be a threat.

She stepped out and did a dramatic and feminine twirl, "Opinions, Kou?" She asked with an innocent expression on her face, her eyes bright with excitement for the dance. Once Kou voiced his approval, Arietta snapped a selfie and sent it to Tadashi along with her friend request. She then typed a message to accompany her photo, "How does it look, Kio-kun? Oh! Are we meeting at the dance or should I give you my address?" She proceeded to pay for her costume and returned to the car with Kou, headed home. She had to put her makeup on and pin up her hair, because honestly with her long blonde hair down, she did not foresee herself looking like a very efficient priestess. Of course the short costume wasn't very functional, but she wouldn't argue that, she didn't want to dress like a catholic school girl in front of her peers. To be popular, a girl needed to show a little skin, but she did firmly believe in leaving a great deal to the imagination as well.

Once home, Arietta stepped out of the car and made a beeline to her room, shouting her arrival for her grandmother to hear. Arietta applied mostly natural makeup attempting a somewhat low key appearance, adding only eyeliner in excess. Once she felt her look was done, she applied a clear shimmering gloss to her lips, licking them to enjoy the sugary flavoring. Her grandmother then entered the room and began to help the blue eyed girl with her hair, and Arietta checked her phone, nervous as she waited for a response from Tadashi.

Bishop Trander

"That's right blondie! You should speak up a little louder."[b] Bishop jumped and blushed when the girl (Skylar) addressed him back so playfully. [b]"I'm Skylar and don't you forget it, kay?" Bishop watched her pose, finding it somewhat odd but hen realized that this was Japan and it was a bit common for people to do that. He noticed her (Skylar's) pink eyes finding that rather unique. Everything about this girl was unique it seemed, this really snagged the blonde's attention.

Almost like a slap to knock the junior out of his thoughts, Skylar commented about him and his friend Mai "He's quite a catch of the day, small fry. Blondes are AMAZE-ING in bed I hear." Bishop's face turned beat red, nearly jumping out of his skin from that comment. "N-No no! It's not like that- not at all." Bishop shook his head and sweat dropped trying finger the point across that him and Mai were not romantically involved in the least. He looked down to Mai to check if she was ok, he didn't want to offend her, nor did he want to make he uncomfortable for any misconceived notions about that. His past few days were strewn with misunderstandings lately. Looking back up it was then that he noticed his senior Arietta getting into a limo, with a chauffeur escorting her in. He blinked having missed her initial wave, watching her be driven off. <Arietta, rides in a limo?> Bishop never struck his blonde senior (Arietta) as the rich type, she just acted like a normal person to him. He was still concerned about their botched exercise. They haven't talked yet about it, would they even? He didn't know.

Focusing back on the situation at hand, he keyed in on the perfect time to listen to Skylar. "So... before you two get busy where's the office around 'ere?" Bishop's face screwed up thanks to her comment, but he stepped up to give her directions. "Ahhh, well... It's through that door, take the hallway to the left and it's the third door." Bishop glanced back to look her (Skylar) in the eyes hoping she understood his directions. It was then that something hit him in his subconscious. He remembered the dance and the message saying that you can't get in without a date, and earlier he was determined on asking girls out until he received a yes- that was before Arietta dampened his spirits. He blinked and began to get his nerves up. <If I don't ask now... I'll probably never get a date.> "H-Hey umm... You- probably don't know this, since it was a message send to the students but umm." Bishop rubbed the back of his head a bit nervously, he glanced back to Mai pretty embarrassed but he pressed on. He had to! "Well, there's this dance tonight... A Halloween dance- and~ the school has made it mandatory to go with a date. So- umm, I was wondering if you. Would consider, going with-me~?" Bishop gave a sheepish grin to Skylar feeling pretty self-conscious but nothing worth while was easy... Or safe entirely. He awaited her response hoping for he best.

Regardless of her answer Bishop would finish walking Mai to the front of the school then excuse himself to go home and get dressed. His mother picked him up around the corner and brought him home, only to find a hand-made costume almost completely finished being worked on by his grandmother, aunt and mother. "Woah... That actually looks really cool."

Ahh, what would make you think I'm not going? Hehe, it sounds like a lot of fun and it would be a great place for us to meet new friends or learn more about our friends. And yes! Me and Akira would love to have you with us, not that you're an after thought or anything. We're friends after all."

She smiled up at Bishop glad that he seemed equally excited by the prospect of going as she was, but she also felt like he said all that just for her. In a way, Mai felt bad for having asked him. What if he was feeling down and she had somehow guilted him into going! As empathetic as she may be, Mai never really knew how to handle people and they didn’t care to handle her. It was an odd relationship, Mai and other people. No one treated her like her age. Often talking to her like she was the gradeschooler that she appeared to be. Other times they thought she was faking it all when, in doing so, they made it worse. "Whatever the exact rules are for getting in, we'll all stick together. No matter what" Mai nodded in agreement, letting loose a soft giggle at how enthusiastic he was in reassuring her. She had never met anyone quite like Bishop before and it was a nice change.

"Eh? Are those.. Horns?" A bit confused Mai glanced over towards the direction that had caught Bishop’s eye and the very same question he had asked, she asked herself. The girl (Skylar) was simply astounding in by her looks. The small junior was a bit intimidated by her loud appearance but it was also provided bystanders with a preview of what this girl is probably like. "That's right blondie! You should speak up a little louder. I'm Skylar and don't you forget it, kay?" She flinched at the girls outspokenness as well as admired her way of carrying herself. The girl was very bold in her actions and for a moment Mai wished she could be a little like that but that thought didn’t last long. Skylar got rather close to Bishop and did the same to her. She leaned back in response, feeling the need to add distance to herself and Skylar. Mai felt as if she was being sized up by the butcher before they chose which parts they were going to cut first. The feeling made Mai uncomfortable and when Skylar stepped back, Mai released the breath that she hadn’t even noticed she had been holding.

"He's quite a catch of the day, small fry. Blondes are AMAZE-ING in bed I hear." It took Mai a couple of seconds to realize what the eccentric girl had said until Bishop went out of his way to deny it. When Mai did understand what had been said her cheeks burned with embarrassment and maybe a hint of shame? She knew Bishop hadn’t intended to put her down or anything but she couldn’t help feeling that way. Was she really not that appealing to anyone? It wasn’t like Mai sought out this attention but there was a difference between having hope that someone would like you and knowing that that hope was pointless. At this point, Mai zoned out of the conversation, trying to wrap her head around everything that had just been said. Should she also speak out and deny it as well? But what if she unintentionally hurts Bishop’s feelings in doing so? There were so many things that could go wrong and by staying silent, she was probably adding to the misunderstanding that.

For the rest of the walk, Mai remained silent. She hadn’t even noticed that Bishop’s senior had passed them by or that Bishop had asked Skylar to the dance, or the response she had given them. Everything was just background noise until Bishop excused himself. Snapping out of her thoughts, Mai said her goodbye’s absentmindedly and headed back home alone. Finally reaching the top of the stairs the ebony haired girl was immediately bombarded by various questions from the staff and her cousin, Ren. It would seem that her older cousin had received the announcement and was set on attending it with her. There was just no way he was going to let his beloved cousin go without a date. “I’m al-already going w-with s-some friends Ren-kun.” The look on his face was priceless. He theatrically fell to the floor and cried out loud, wondering why his cousin would do such a thing. She crouched in front of him and smiled. “But w-would you s-still be willing t-to escort m-me t-to the d-dance?” Almost at once his demeanor changed and he grinned. “Of course!! First we need to procure a costume! OH! I know just the thing!”

Hearing those words made Mai regret having asked him to take her there, she new exactly what he was talking about. Ren rushed off to some corner of the grand home while the elder priest beckoned her inside. When they were all seated Ren walked in, wearing an old costume and her own in his hands. “Mai-chan~ Look at what I found~” He presented to her an old costume that she had worn when she was younger. The costume that Ren wore was her father’s and Mai was rather curious as to how he managed to get his hands on it. Regardless, it looked like she had something to wear although it was definitely going to be embarrassing in showing up in a costume she had worn when she was little. It meant that she hadn’t grown much since then and her hopes of maybe getting taller were diminishing by the second. With her costume complete, all that she needed to do was attend the dance and meet up with Akira and Bishop.

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"N-No no! It's not like that- not at all." Skylar tapped her bottom lip with her finger while gazing absentmindedly above. "Oh.. so it's not true that you're good in bed? Bummer!" she responded, misunderstanding his denial with a big grin in amusement. She had heard that 'blondes are good in bed' statement from a previous classmate. Skylar would be sure to get her facts straight next time she saw her. Skylar's head moved energetically to align her sights with the blonde's (Bishop) seeing another blonde but female (Arietta) in the distance. Skylar growing up in the top tier of the wealthy class was used to limousine luxury, more curious on the two blondes connection to each other. It wasn't just the hair color but the eye color as well. They looked pretty much like twins in her eyes! "That's uncanny in Japan ehh. She looks like the female version of you!" Skylar chuckled her honest thought, proud of her uniqueness as she puffed out her chest. "One of the many reasons I wear horns boy. If I somehow run into a twin, she's not going to have these bad guys on her head." she announced, wrapping her hands around the horns to place emphasis on what she was saying. "And then I get dibs on being the Yin in Yin Yang. It's no fun being a goody two shoes, know what I'm saying?" Skylar rambled, releasing her horns and jabbing a thumb at her chest twice when talking about herself. Individualism was a core belief of hers.

"Ahhh, well... It's through that door, take the hallway to the left and it's the third door." "Okay!" she said enthusiastically, giving the blonde another wide grin with a thumbs up gesture. The small fry was so quiet (Mai) she had almost forgotten her, giving a quick wave about to joyfully skip away. "Well, there's this dance tonight... A Halloween dance- and~ the school has made it mandatory to go with a date. So- umm, I was wondering if you. Would consider, going with-me~?" Skylar turned on her heel instantly with a 180 degree turn, blinking repetitively in surprise. She glanced behind her then in front of her where the blonde male stood to check he wasn't asking someone else. As he looked at her, she silently started jabbing her thumb at her chest again with wide eyes to clarify if he was asking her out. She was so shocked she was almost speechless, almost. When the realization hit her, the biggest smile she could muster formed on her face and she leaped in the air towards him. "Mamma mia!" Whether or not he caught her, she hugged this stranger tightly as her arms wrapped around his back. "I love a good party! I'll be there!" she talked into his chest, releasing him for a second. "Nobody has ever asked me out to anything. This is gonna be off the hook!" Skylar was so excited she was practically yelling. Releasing him completely, she resumed skipping away with a back handed wave. "Seeya blondie and small fry! Catch you on the flip side."

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Skylar had completely neglected the details of the social event. Fortunately, her host family was more than accommodating. She had not yet the pleasure of getting to know the student Sora she was living with, both youths busy arranging their individual costumes. "I can't pick between the two!!!" she groaned, falling back into the comfort of her bed and laying an arm against her forehead. Sora's limousine had already departed and Skylar was left to fend for herself in making this difficult choice. Coming up with an idea, she sat up in an instant and punched a fist against an open palm. "Genius!" she praised herself, hopping around the room and into her selected costumes.

Skylar's limousine ride was uneventful, contrary to her earlier taxi cab ride. The difference was she was alone with the exception of the driver and one of her costumes was particularly restrictive; the ghost half. Underneath her ghost cover was her other costume as a cop that she bought back home from a lingerie store. The thigh high stockings matched with her teasing cleavage made the teenager appear sexy and dominant. She wasn't sure why exactly she brought the attire set to Japan, being a random spur of the moment choice but it had come in handy for the occasion. "We've arrived."

Skylar stepped out of the limousine in her ghostly form and stepped as quietly and lightly as possible in a crouched stance to avoid detection of the few students gathered for entry to Himeji Castle. Sora and the small fry was among them but Skylar would go through with her plan unstoppable. Stealth mode activate. she snuck up on the group in absolute silence as they talked to one another, hopefully unsuspecting of her presence. When she deemed herself close enough in range, she jumped up from behind them and screamed,"BLARGHAFAH!" An incoherent choice of speech.

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+1 Charm [Bishop]

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"Even with the
streams of time flowing
I will find a way to make
a bridge, so that I'll be able
to see you, to feel you, to
talk to you when the time comes."

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██Ryou wasn't sure what to make of his costume. All he really could tell was that his manager and fellow co-employees at Paradiso were having a good time at his expense. He had even been asked to wear different clothes and paraded it around. They even took pictures and said something about selling it or something. It's not like he didn't notice, but he did ask for their help and he continued with it even when it was obvious from the very beginning that they find his ordeal very entertaining.

He couldn't complain really as they did help him to finally have a decent costume for the party. It's just that he wasn't sure what he was portraying. He got called as a rock star, vampire prince, demon, warrior, dark prince and etc. There was no problem really, but he has no idea what to tell others when he's asked about who was he supposed to be. They just advised him to ignore those questions and said he looked very cool. That wasn't really helpful, but it will do for now.

The event did require a companion and since he had no intention of attending before, he had no one. He also wasn't sure who to ask. It's not like there was a shortage really, but he didn't like the thought of asking those girls always clamoring around him. He would not ignore his chosen companion but if they get a bit overbearing, he just didn't like too much trouble that's all, so they're out of the question. This was meant as a form of enjoyment which Kasane wanted for him, not an annoyance he had to put up with. He would have to find someone and somehow, he was beginning to understand the concern that Saburo was having earlier.

He took out his phone and began to scroll down his contacts. There was really no one that stood out. It seemed he would have to make do with other students who does not have a companion at the event itself. Aeon and Cassiopeia surely would be coming as a pair. He would have guess the others would already have their partners as well. "Excuse me, sir, but are you a model by chance?" Those words lifted him from his inner mind and looked at the cab driver. He was actually thinking of using the bus and the train, but that would probably not be advisable because of his current state of clothes. That's why in the end he used the a taxi to go to Himeji Castle. "No." That's his simple answer as he met the driver's gaze through the rear-view mirror. "Oh! Sorry, I thought with your looks and clothes."

That really wasn't a bad guess on the driver's part. "It's fine. It's a costume for a school party." He answered back casually as he returned his gaze back on his phone and kept it. He would have to go back to basics then, hopefully someone was still available. "Here we are!" The driver soon announced as he looked out the window seeing Himeji Castle. "Thank you." He stated after giving the driver the fare. He then left the cab as he walked towards the entrance. There he saw the students gathered along with familiar faces. They seemed to be same faces he saw earlier at the school gates at dismissal time with the addition of his junior. "Jay." He called out to his junior. "Good evening to you all as well." And then to the group right after a prank from a fellow student portraying a ghost and scaring the others.

There was Blake, Kon, Jay, Harigae, a new student. Ryou stood before them in his garb. He was not really that bothered with how his clothes revealed his skin. It was the same when he was playing basketball and all. They were really not that revealing in his head and growing up in America. He was more liberal than most. It revealed his smooth and chiseled chest with an antique rosary necklace hanging around his neck. His double x tattoo fully revealed along with his unique piece of earring. His nails now resembled of claws suggesting he is portraying an inhumane character. Then again, his clothes resembled that of a noble with a touch of rebelliousness because of the leather straps and belts depicting he is not a commoner. He might also believe in the divine or for blasphemy reasons with his choice of accessories, a dangerous connotation. He could really be of many things.

His silver eyes seemed to have an ambient glow due to the light of the moon above them and his black hair swayed lightly from the breeze. Ryou stood there in front of them with his rather towering height. He seemed as he had always been even with the costume on with that he greeted them once more, "Happy Halloween." That's proper to say, isn't it?

---

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"I refuse to miss out on an event due to someone else's personal feelings of inadequacy."

Yuuki was inspired by the boy's determination, that much she knew for certain. This boy was unlike anyone she had ever met. In certain ways he reminded her of herself, but there were several things that set this boy apart from everyone else. He seemed to be highly intelligent, yet managed to socially function as well, at least better than Yuuki could ever hope to.

"Who would say such a thing?"

Well.. Yuuki thought to herself, but did not supply him with an actual answer, realizing it was not a question she was intended to answer, but she could supply the names of several imdividuals, including her own parents, that called her dull or boring.

"Fun is subjective and it is of my opinion that you would be fun to be around."

The violet haired girl remained silent, because she it wasn't like she was exactly sure how she should respond to Sora, or his compliments. Compliments regarding her personality were far and few between, so Yuuki was left dumbfounded when she faced such praise. The eye contact that he maintained further convinced her that Sora's words were genuine, a girl like Yuuki, she couldn't let herself be swept away. There was too much at stake, she couldn't be sidetracked now. I can handle it. A charming smile and a few nice words will not break my will to achieve my goal. Yuuki thought to herself, reassuring herself that she was strong enough, that the ice around her heart was thick enough to withstand a boy like Sora, not that she'd ever met a boy like him, so it was merely conjecture. Her cautious nature demanded for her to be wary, but Yuuki was still a teenage girl at heart. Nearly every teenage girl felt invincible when a cute boy praised them.

"And as for dancing..."

Yuuki's composure immediately shattered upon physical touch and a dark blush exploded upon her cheeks. To be honest, up until she began attending Airdalen, it had been some time since another student had broke the touch barrier, Arietta being the only other to do so, but it was considerably different when compared to Sora. She couldn't describe that difference, but she undeniably felt it.

"Like any other skill, can be learned."

The words caught her off guard, and suddenly everything in the room appeared brighter. It was as though a light was being shined on Sora the rest of the room. Logically speaking, she knew that his words were a basic truth. Dance, just like any other physical ability could be picked up by anyone, assuming they were physically able, with enough practice. Despite logic, despite herself, something struck a chord. Everything seemed so vivid and lively now.The eye contact involved shook her to her core. Yuuki did not realize it, but somewhere along the lines, she began holding her breath. Had it been a moment or over a minute? She couldn't tell; but she finally drew a small breath to keep from running out of air.

"Sora, there you are! What on earth happened?"

At the sound of another voice, Yuuki felt her entire body freeze in mortification. To be in this position was outrageous enough, but to be seen like this was an entirely new level of humiliation. Yuuki stumbled backwards almost the exact moment that Sora withdrew, eyes darting between Emi and Sora, both who seemed nonchalant about the entire ordeal. She mentally cursed herself for allowing herself to be drawn into such a compromising situation, but there was little she could do about it. Her parents were threatening her, so she had no choice but to attend the dance and deal with moments like this, for now at least. Don't get caught up. He's just a boy, he's a senior and he's intelligent, but he's still a boy and that means trouble. Boys are a distraction when it comes to school... Yuuki mentally cited to herself, seeing as the eccentric maid all but labeled Yuuki as invisible. However, she couldn't blame the girl, considering Sora's physical condition.

"I'll discuss it later."

Then her eyes landed on the maid one final time as she began to escort Sora out. She suddenly realized that this girl was Sora's maid. Sora was definitely not poor like herself. The situation struck Yuuki as if she had been stabbed with a spear. E-Eh?! He's... Why am I surprised...? I mean, look at this school..." Yuuki thought to herself, closing her eyes to hide her eyes from view. She felt an array of emotion and she did not want anyone else to witness it. She had displayed enough idiocy in front of Sora and during the fight, perhaps so much that it would be irreparable. At this rate she would have to harshly turn away so many people who deemed themselves as her 'acquaintances', or even 'friends', if they were forward like Arietta.

"I'll see you tonight."

"...Hai. See you then." Yuuki stated in a quiet tone. She felt trapped, trapped between her parents threat and her sacrifice to achieve her goal as fast as possible. Sure, if she was being honest with herself: She wanted to attend the dance and she wanted to let herself like a boy, especially one like Sora. What girl wouldn't want to do those things? However, Yuuki wasn't being honest with herself. How could she? Her father was sitting at home, terminally ill. Her mother was struggling to pay for hospital bills, and both took from their retirement to make sure that she could attend Airdalen. How could she be happy, relax and let herself do something as foolish as falling for a boy when her parents were suffering? How could she risk letting her grades slip when her parents put everything on the line for her education? She felt like the walls were closing in on her. What she wanted to do, what she thought she wanted to do, and what she had to do.. It was emotionally ripping her apart. Despite her tenacity, she couldn't keep this up forever. Slowly, but surely, she could feel the walls she built all those years ago beginning to crack. Sooner or later; the walls would come crumbling down and she would be forced to face every emotion she'd tucked away for the sake of her determination to cure her father.

---

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Yuuki tugged at her costume as she boarded the train, her attire earning her several looks from other passengers. The last time she wore this many frills she was still attending preschool. Honestly the apparel was embarrassing, but she didn't have the time or the funds to retrieve anything else, plus her parents spent their hard earned money on it.. She had to wear it despite how badly she detested it. She started doing math problems on an app she downloaded to her phone, deciding to study at least a little during this 'leisure' time that her parents forced upon her. She lost all track of time as she immersed herself in the problems, until she heard the right stop called over the intercom. She stood, scurrying off of the train, accidentally leaving her jacket behind in her haste.

By the time she realized it, she was halfway to the castle. She assumed it was stolen by now, so she brushed it off as a careless loss. She was angry with herself, finding it difficult to finish the problem she was working on. She tilted her head at the problem, enjoying the challenge, but it did little to ease her irritation. How could I have been so thoughtless? I left my coat? It's not like it had anything important inside of it... but still. That's the first time I've ever done that.. She thought to herself, wondering if she had less grip on her emotions than she thought. Ever since she came to this school she couldn't seem to keep it together. What was it about this place that unnerved her? Or perhaps it was the people?

While she was not cold yet, she had no idea what was in store for her later that night. Either way, there was nothing she could do about it. As she finally saw the castle, she noticed the crowd of people that formed outside. Blinking curiously, she slowly approached. There were several odd individuals standing around, but two caught her eye immediately. The first was a tall male she was unfamiliar with (Ryou), who on another note was clearly exposing a lot of skin. Before she could become embarrassed by his appearance, Yuuki quickly turned her gaze to the other person of interest, who thankfully seemed to be showing a considerably less amount of his body. She approached him, seeing as he was her agreed upon date, "Harigae-Senpai, it's nice to see you... S-Sugoi! Your costume is interesting! What material was used to make the wings?" Yuuki asked, leaning her upper body to the side in order to examine the demonic wings better. Her golden eyes sparkled as she scanned the entirety of the costume, the challenge of mentally constructing a theory on how the wings were made bringing a glimmer to her features. She had several hypothesis, but without touching the wings, which she would not do so forwardly, she wouldn't be able to narrow down her thoughts, "I do not know where this costume came from... my parents sent it." She stated with a sigh, rubbing her temples. Then the violet haired girl asked her azure haired escort the question that had been bugging her since she arrived at the castle, "Why are we all standing outside..? Are we early or are they too afraid of a historical building and a fictional monsters?" she had not honestly checked the actual time for when this event started.. So she wasn't sure how long it was until they could go inside, or if they could already go in. When the school sent the text about the dance, she honestly had no intention of attending, so she wrote off most of the details.

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Sora was indifferent to the neko’s fuss after his verbal observation, the straight line of his mouth not faltering at the uncomfortable situation he was unknowingly responsible for. His major flaw as a human being was his incredibly detached perspective from others that he would fail to consider their emotions as relevant to himself. He tilted his head side to side for the right angle to properly inspect the neko costume, his hair swaying at the motion of his movements matching a dog trying to see past an equipped muzzle. "Is that appropriate? Don't look!"
At this, Sora stopped tilting his head to speak. His mind was no longer focused on the costume and instead dwelling on the question of appropriateness. “From where I am standing it is appropriate. That is your costume, is it not? Costumes are meant to be seen.” He said bluntly and expressionless, confused by this certain individual’s words and sense of logic. Sora had merely said that remark as a result of his exposed abdomen, as per his costume selection. It didn’t make a lick of sense in Sora’s mind to want to hide what he had decided to show off when selecting that costume. "Thanks I guess...?" He simply nodded; pleased to get his point across.

"My name is Blake, Akira, your costume is killer." Sora blinked slowly, mentally registering the name. It clicked in his subconscious but in actual awareness, he could not remember how this individual was connected to him. Harigae, Sora." His oceanic eyes honed in on Akira's facial features and body shape in an effort to remember. "Killer? I suppose demon lords do appear to be the sort to go out and kill people." Sora acted immune to the compliment, unable to recognize it as one and taking the literal view. More concerning than that, his words said in such an emotionless tone could be deemed enough to send chills down spines. He mentioned killing as if it were a trivial matter. "I helped break up the fight. I don't like fights... anymore at least." Sora stared at Akira more intensely than before, his subconscious and awareness meeting like puzzle pieces. "So that was you." he spoke out the obvious, the puzzle complete. In the same way as Yuuki, Akira was also demonstrating emotions through her eyes that Sora did not comprehend. It truly was a mystery what others' eyes were communicating to him. Their limited height difference did however serve a purpose in letting Sora observe this moment without the need to inch closer.

"Fujioka-San explained everything. I'm sorry I went off, I was scared Fujioka-San would get hurt being so close to the fight." Sora continued intensely staring at Akira as if he were silently judging him but that was not the case. Akira had just snagged his full attention at the moment with no others around to intrude on their conversation. "Fujioka did?" He stated the obvious again, blinking slowly once more but in full recognition this time of the name. He was happy that someone had spoken out in support of him, so much so that he nearly cracked a smile as the corners of his lips twitched upwards. It was a rare occurrence indeed that another would speak out on his behalf for incidents he got involved in. Normally, he would receive all the blame because of his strange and extroverted personality. "Fujioka is my date tonight." He declared. "Tonight she is mine. The fear you hold over her safety should be my own." Sora was stern, maintaining stable eye contact with Akira. Sora was a stranger to the concept of jealousy and possessiveness but he knew what a date was. He was confident that Yuuki was to be his concern and not someone else's who was not her date. However, there was a slight possibility he was speaking that way out of immaturity like a child who does not wish to share. At Akira's erupted nervous laughter, Sora nodded in the belief his point had made it across again.

“H-Hello A-Akira-kun. S-sora-senpai.” His eyes changed its subject of focus, honing in on the fragile girl he had acquainted on the first day of school. "Hello." he greeted back adding, "So you are not a gradeschooler.. I made an error of judgement." he thought aloud, distracted by that thought alone to not inspect her costume better; a circumstance for the best with her shy demeanor. Akira and Mai talked to each other as a hulk of a figure in the most confusing Halloween costume of all that Sora had observed tonight, advanced towards him. "Hey, how are you doing?" When the hand of this brunette brute-looking guy landed on his shoulder, Sora looked up at him more interested in his confusion of a costume than the question. "Sore as expected. What are you dressed as?" Sora talked at a quick pace, eager to receive the answer. His mind was utterly boggled and it did not occur to him that the guy of foreign aesthetics would have trouble coping with his Japanese.

"BLARGHAFAH!" Sora was startled by this loud sound but the only sign of his surprise was the little jolt he did on the spot. He sighed upon turning around to identify the cause. This girl did not remind of the peaceful wonderful sky at all, disappointment subtle in his eyes as they narrowed a tinge. "Skylar, you're too loud." He did not realize that being loud suddenly to scare others was part of the idea, getting his head around motives another weak spot of his. He had the observational skills of a detective but the interpretation skills of a robot. "Jay.""Good evening to you all as well." Sora looked up at Ryou upon his arrival, admiring his attire. He admired it so much he started picking at it without permission for inspection. His fingers traced along the edges of the senior's coat only stopping when he was satisfied or when made to stop. "Happy Halloween.""Mhm." Sora said, not really paying attention to what was even said as he focused on the style of costume. He loved fashion immensely.

"Harigae-Senpai, it's nice to see you... S-Sugoi! Your costume is interesting! What material was used to make the wings?" Sora's eyes locked on his date as she made her presence known to him, instantly moving up and down her figure to analyse her costume choice for the event. It was a good thing that she had more to say, he might have ruined the night with a blunt statement on how she was not as flat chested as he thought. "I do not know where this costume came from... my parents sent it." Yuuki was speaking a lot in such a short time frame that Sora forgot what his original thought was as he listened to her every word. "Thank you, we used Nylon and bent clothes hangers." Sora's eyes flickered with enthusiasm over the topic as he held her hand and guided it towards a wing of his to feel the fabric for herself. "I designed this outfit. I am glad you approve." He smiled warmly. There were very few things in the world this boy could show passion for, fashion being one of such things; the reason for his smile. "Why are we all standing outside..? Are we early or are they too afraid of a historical building and a fictional monsters?""I believe we are early but we can go ahead to check the doors."

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+1 Popularity [Yuuki]

Posted on behalf of Tinkers

His interaction with Skylar was... Interesting to say the least. Bishop blinked awkwardly listening to her seemingly ramble on about her unique appearance, in contrast to how his senior Arietta looked like his twin sister. Or at least his older sister. The thought of it made him blush as they talked. When she (Skylar) turned away right as he asked his question the young student couldn't help but sweatdrop and blink thinking she was just going to ignore him. But something else happened. In a strangely- cute fashion the new student (Skylar) pivoted on her heels and looked at him as if he was an alien. He blinked and blinked watching her (Skylar) look around, then ultimately point at herself to make sure that she was one he was talking to. "Uhh.... Yes- "Mamma mia! I love a good party! I'll be there!" Bishop had fortunately the athletic ability to catch Skylar, gazing down as she spoke into his chest. To be pounced on so suddenly was definitely something he was no used to. "Nobody has ever asked me out to anything. This is gonna be off the hook! Seeya blondie and small fry! Catch you on the flip side." It was when she (Skylar) began to skip away that Bishop suddenly realized that the two hadn't even exchanged information. He sighed to himself wondering what he had gotten himself into.

At home Bishop was the center of attention for 3 older women. That wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for the fact that he was related to all 3 of these women and they were making him try on clothing that they've made for him. As soon as Bishop got home, he was swarmed with his mother, aunt and grandmother taking his measurements and making him strip down to his boxers. The excited women had gone full steam with prepping his costume until it was time to try them on. The first was made by his mother- Kimiko. He stepped int the bathroom and put on what could only be called a penguin onesie.

"Mom... I am not wearing this." He heard laughter coming from a set of speakers only to find his dad on skype watching through the video chat. He blushed deeper as his mother tried futilely to 'sell' him the costume. But he wasn't having it. There was only so much humiliation one teenage boy could take in a day! Next his aunt gave him a box with a costume in it. "I'm sure you'' love it.. I know the ladies will~" Bishop looked at her skeptically and went back to the bathroom to change. "Uhh.. Aunt Musubi? How do I even put this on?" He fidgeted and fumbled until the costume was ready and stepped out of the bathroom wearing a conflicted expression.

"Well... It's better than the penguin but-" Bishop spun around not entirely sure what to say. It felt revealing to him, coming from a kid that wear skin tight bathing suits in front of people. Musubi clapped her hands together moving over to Bishop's side. "Isn't lovely~ You're bound to catch the eye of a girl or guy at the dance tonight... What do you think? Don't you love it?" Bishop thought, looking around at his family members from his grandmother, to his mother then finally on his family computer where his dad gave him a wink and thumbs up. He wasn't sure. "Why don't you try this one sweety... Tell me if you like it." He looked towards his grandmother who brought him a box. Bishop took it gratefully and left to go change for the last time tonight. This costume change took longer, but when he came out Bishop was all smiles.

"I love this one! It's perfect! Thank you grandma." Bishop rushed over to hug his oldest sibling, the 9 tails on his costume began to wag on their own as if he was a happy pup. With that being said, Bishop and his family had a light dinner then he left for the dance. On his way over, him and his dad had a talk. It was pretty normal, this being his first ever school dance so his father wanted to give him some advice... However it was a little uncomfortable talking about this. Luckily it didn't last long, unable to forget what his dad was talking about how to 'kiss a girl right'. Bishop finally arrived at the castle armed with his new 'knowledge' that he would rather soon forget and set off to find his date and the entrance to the dance. His feet clacked in his traditional geta sandles echoing around the walls and surfaces. "Woah~.... This place is cool. It's massive. How did they build all this by hand?" Bishop marveled at the ancient architecture around him, truly appreciating this side of his family's heritage. He know his family lineage well, his father and grandmother made it an effort to know where exactly he came from through history. He rounded a corner and found a group of people standing around then made his way towards them. "Sumimasen~! Is this the dance for Airdalen Academy?" Bishop picked up the pace and trotted lightly over to the group finding it was Sora, Ryou, Akira, Mai, someone in a ghost costume (Skylar) and finally Yuuki. He visibly flinched seeing Yuuki still thinking that she would shout at him for some odd reason. "Wow, everyone's costumes look great!" He smiled looking at everyone while his tails swished side-to-side on their own. How was he doing that?
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+1 Charm (Skylar)

He kept his body low, trying to keep himself as small as possible as he crept towards Himeji castle. He managed to climb over the wall, smirking to himself, "Heh, date required my ass.." He chimed to himself very proud of his achievement. He did not see a single chaperon in sight, so he sped forward. As soon as his foot met wood, the floor caved in beneath him. Eh...? Kei looked down, eyes widening as he quickly collapsed into a large hole in the ground, "W-What the hell!?" he snapped. There was no way this was legal to do to a student. What if he had broken his leg? Using his spear prop to vault himself out, Kei attempted this again, but regardless of his strategy, he always ended up outside of Himeji castle, falling into a booby trap, and once he even was left dangling from a tree. Finally giving up, Kei walked over to a group of students lined up outside and sat on the ground with an angry expression on his face. There were leaves in his unkempt charcoal hair and his skin was slightly sweaty from his numerous attempts to crash the party without a date. His silver-blue eyes stared at the ground, anger and exhaustion burning in his determined eyes. He did not spend so much time on his samurai costume to sit outside of the party all day. One way or another he would make it inside. One of his arm straps were loose, so with his teeth and free hand he began to adjust the strap, refusing to ask a stranger for help. While not very tall and possessing average strength, Kei's gaze was arrogant and standoffish. I'll have to ask someone... but I don't know anyone here.. He gritted his teeth at the thought, but he had to accept the situation for what it was.


Once his costume was back in order, Kei looked over his shoulder to those present deciding to check out the other costumes. There was an adorable little girl present, with hair as equally dark as his own. He started to wonder if she was even old enough to attend, but it wasn't like he would ask her. If she were to get offended and slap him, all hell would break loose. He decided to avoid her to avoid conflict, or worse, he didn't want to flee the scene. Girls were only trouble after all, baggage he did not desire to concern himself with. There was also a boy dressed as a cat (Akira) who was only a little shorter than himself. Kei looked over the boy with a smirk, admiring the goods. The boy was quite fit for a shorty, definitely Kei's type. Then his eyes shifted to another boy who was dressed as a demon (Sora). The demon boy appeared to letting a girl dressed as Alice in Wonderland (Yuuki) touch his costume. They seemed quite enamored with each other, so he assumed they were attending the dance together. Guess that writes him off the table for small talk..

Looking further he noticed a male with hair as dark as his own, or possibly even darker (Ryou). Kei looked over the impressive specimen, noting that he was much taller than himself with a lot of skin exposed. The taller male's (Ryou) silver eyes were much lighter than Kei's own bluish-silver irises, and exponentially more intimidating. Kei had to admit that the view was quite pleasant, and he was indulging a bit more than he should have... but hey, no one was watching him anyway. Kei allowed himself to gawk at the exposed muscles that the other guy (Ryou) was freely displaying until his eyes landed on the guy's tattoo. Immediately interested he decided to approach, raising a casual hand to wave at him, "Yo. I'm Watari, Kei.. I hope I'm not intruding?" His facial features changed to a friendly smile now that he was in the presence of another male, no longer worrying about what girl he would have to ask to get into that damned building. He gave the taller guy a chance to say something in return, his eyes shifting to the rest of the present party. There was a blonde male dressed as a nine tailed fox, and Kei couldn't help but gawk at the independently moving tails for a moment. Moving on, he noticed a taller brunet haired guy dressed as Luigi, and a ghost with horns (Skylar). He sweat-dropped when he noticed the ghost, seeing as the costume was little more than a sheet with eye holes. Shaking his head, Kei returned his attention back to the dark haired male (Ryou) looking around for the guy's date, but as to Kei's knowledge there were only three girls present: Horned ghost, Chibi, and Alice. Seeing as Alice was preoccupied with Demon boy, he figured it was safe to write her off the list, "Oi, do you have a date to this thing?" Kei asked quirking one of his ebony brows, a frown on his face as he thought about the traps he had endured, yet his tenacity had been in vain. He decided to warn the guy, not knowing if the tall guy was going to try and pull a stunt like he had. The least he could do was save the guy from breaking a sweat for no reason, "I tried to sneak in earlier, but there are all kinds of traps set out. There's no way in without a date...Just thought I'd warn everyone I can before someone gets hurt trying to get in." He explained, rubbing the back of his neck. Kei glared at the castle walls. He wanted to gain entrance so badly, yet asking a girl to be his date was NOT an option. He looked around, rustling his already unruly hair between his fingers in aggravation. On the bright side; Kei managed to remove the leaves that he had accumulated among his dark hair from all of his encounters with the traps.

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Popularity: +1 to Mai, Akira, and Ryou

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“Sore ... what are you dressed as?”

Johnny caught “sore,” as well as an inquiry on the foreigner’s costume. He knew the word for “sore”, for he learned it early so he could reference sports injury jargon within the first week in Japan. “I am dressed as Luigi. I guess he is from a game. Anyway, I helped pull that boy away- not sure if you saw. Still, good to know you’re alright.” Johnny replied in slightly broken Japanese as he pat the boy’s shoulder and gave a thumbs-up with his other hand. At least, he must be doing alright. Otherwise he wouldn’t be here. The foreigner glanced between the blue-haired boy and the others who were currently present. “I have not introduced. My name is Johnny Farelli, but you can call me Jay.” This time around, his introduction came across quite competently, oozing with new-found confidence from his earlier reading.

Johnny very visibly flinched at the sound of a girl blasting some sort of voice at a great volume. He spun around to see a ghost with a bunch of holes cut in. Three made comical face holes (at least, comical to Johnny) while the other two seemed to be for letting two horn-like appendages poke through.

Johnny couldn’t help but laugh. He felt a few threads in his tight shirt snap as his torso flexed and contracted during his laughter. Great jump scare, dude he thought as he moved to a stance that no longer intruded on anyone’s personal space. With chiseled arms crossed, Johnny listened to whatever conversations were happening. He attempted to follow, though it was very clear that his crunch-study had hardly much effect. The foreigner then heard something about this jump-scare ghost being named… Skylar? That’s definitely not a Japanese name. Another foreigner? Johnny couldn’t really tell under the ghost sheet. Cool kid, though, Johnny was certain.

“Jay,” Ryou-senpai, Johnny’s senior, called out in greeting.

“Yo! Whussup, Ryou?” Johnny rose a fist to bump as he automatically spoke in English. He did not, after all, know how to say exactly that in Japanese, “Sick tats, your suit’s off the hook! You’re really rockin’ that sleeveless look!” He seemed to make the rhyme as if it were second-nature. Hrm… those two lines might flow better swapped…

His friendly smile seemed to grow closer to a more doofy grin. This complemented his scanning emerald eyes as he gathered every detail on the excellent costumes on display. He started to notice most of them looked fresh, if not brand-new. His Luigi costume looked perfectly fine on it’s own. However, when juxtaposed with these fresh costumes, the faded nature of the greens and blues started to stand out. Not to mention his shirt that fit snugly last year was starting to tear at the seams.

“Why… standing outside? … early or are they… (scared?) … monsters.“ Those were the words Johnny managed to catch from the purple-haired girl, Fujioka-san. Johnny imagined this was a question coupled with a joke. He personally was waiting outside because Gen hadn’t showed up yet. That didn’t bother the foreigner- few things could. He was frankly surprised at how early he had arrived, all things considered.

Johnny jammed his hands into the pockets of his overalls. He was content to listen in on conversations to test his current level of knowledge further. After all, he was still a newbie at this oddly complex language. He was only as far as he was because Japanese isn’t the first language he learned. The theory behind learning a language was still known to him.

The blonde-haired girl Johnny met on the first day arrived alongside the purple-eyed boy Johnny saw earlier in the locker room. He waved with genuine kindness, completely unaware of the glares some other students were giving. Would the other students react poorly to Johnny's friendliness? Hell I dunno. I ain't God or whatever.

Popularity +1 Ryou
Popularity +1 Skylar

xxxxxx
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"Even with the
streams of time flowing
I will find a way to make
a bridge, so that I'll be able
to see you, to feel you, to
talk to you when the time comes."

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██The moment he greeted Jay, his junior spoke in his mother language which was at a point was his as well. He met the fist bump with the same gesture. "Thanks. You're good with the rhyme." It made him wonder if Jay had a partner for the night. He did remember that Inoue doesn't have one as the younger male asked for his help. He took a look around to see if Inoue is present, but the boy was not yet. That was when he noticed someone coming towards the group, unable to ask his question as it took his attention.

There was another newcomer, a female who wore a maid costume and apparently was Harigae's companion. He does not care for rumors or such things. He does not involve himself in such trivial things, but he does know what is present before him without being told. It was not really his concern, but that meant she would not be one of the people he could ask to accompany him for the night. It was fine and he was about to answer the question when he felt someone touching him, specifically his clothes.

He looked to see that it was Harigae. He wasn't really opposed to it. He did hear of the blue-haired senior's quirks from the others, but he doesn't see it as that. He let the guy do what he wants as long as it doesn't bother him on a very personal level. It eventually stopped when Harigae's attention was shifted to his wings and eventually, the earlier question had been answered. It was also after that another came, it was Trander, the other foreigner he met at the opening ceremony. The boy complimented the costumes and that was true. Everyone had worked on their costumes at some form.

Ryou's attention was taken when another newcomer joined the group. It was a guy in a samurai costume, but it seems this guy had been in a rumble of sorts. He introduced himself in a friendly manner and Ryou did the same in his own way. "No." That was his answer to this boy now known as Kei Watari and the proper response to an introduction. "I'm Giou, Ryou." He gave a small nod of his head and then looked at the others who could introduce themselves too. There was another question directed at him and it was a problem he does want to have a solution about. It was also apparent that he has to since Watari said that there are traps present for those who do not follow the condition of having a date. It seems Watari also shared the same fate as him for the night.

"No, I don't have one." He smoothly said that. It was rather hard to believe especially with his certain avid fans. Those who heard looked at him in disbelief, whispers began, all that he was used to along with the flashes of the cameras on him or towards their group by the other students. He initially had no intention of coming and really, he was rather conflicted of having a companion really, for in the end of the day, he only have one individual in mind that was truly fitting to be identified as his date. "It seems I need to get one now." He cast his attention briefly to the group and then to other students, before realizing something. He looked back at Watari. "Thanks for the advice, Watari-san."

He then noticed another person approaching them with a rather eye-catching costume. It was Fukui and from the looks of it a date of his junior. It seemed he would not need to worry about Jay when it comes to socialization. That was really a good thing. He ought to worry about himself as he looked around because as far as he could tell the group he was in seemed to be paired up already. Blake could probably be having Kon as his date. He wasn't sure about the ghost (Skylar) or for Trander. That's when he caught a familiar figure in also another eye-catching costume. It seemed that was a trend as he looked back at the others. "Excuse me, but do you know anyone who has no date?" It was a question he should have asked earlier isn't it? He was fine with anyone as long as it was not one of those rabid fans.

---

---

“Jay!”

Johnny, being nearly as tall as Ryou, was easy to pick out in a crowd, especially with his green plumber’s cap. Though faded, the colour of the hat was still a strong, noticeable hue.

That didn’t compare to Johnny’s date, however. Gen in particular was very… conspicuous, to say the least. Scraps of hot pink fabric coupled with leather belts- and very little else. The scraps were stitched professionally together to form a pseudo-sports bra and short shorts. She wore mismatched, loosely fitting boots with matching finger-less gloves, and a single long pink stocking on one leg that nearly reached her thigh. She had split her large braid into two slimmer braids. There was a lot of visible skin; pale, and very fair. The overall look was quite wacky, but not in an overwhelming way. With part of her bangs flared out forward, Johnny thought she looked pretty cute.

Of course he would at least think that sort of thing. Despite himself, Johnny felt rather hot under the collar. He tried to force his heart to keep an even rhythm. His tight shirt stretched as he tried to control his breathing. Johnny could’ve sworn he felt- not heard- some threads snap along the shoulder seams. He hardly expected such a… non-conservative costume for a place that seemed to hold onto traditional values more strictly than most places in the United States. Sure there were lots of girls who dressed similarly where Johnny came from, but that was Johnny’s old hood.

Being relatively illiterate in the way of technology and video games, the foreigner had no idea what Gen was supposed to be. (Heck, he never played the game his own costume was from.) The “bullets” attached to the sides of the “bra” belt seemed out of proportion, almost cartoonish, like they were meant to fit a gun that couldn’t exist in reality. Was this a character of some Japanese cartoon? … Or a video game? Hell, with Nintendo and Sony, Japan basically made both anime and video games. Maybe this was a character from both?

The pondering helped Johnny cool his head enough to think about what he wanted to say. With an almost flamboyant spreading of his arms, he greeted Gen and sized her up with a gaze going from head to toe, and back to head again. “Yo! You’re rockin’ that look, dude!” He started… in English… dumbass… He dropped his arms slightly. “Wait, I mean… (in Japanese, and more professionally, more like an unintentionally sultry growl)*ahem* You look great, Gen-san!” He meant it too. Johnny rose a hand to rub the brim of the Luigi cap between a finger and thumb. Along with the hat, he wore that wonderfully friendly smile of his. He laughed off his earlier dumbassery. Despite growing up in the hood, Johnny made sure to take care of his pearly-whites. All his old friends did.

“Sorry I’m late, shall we get going?” She suggested with a polite smile. Johnny knew every word for this one. He memorized most of them before he left.

Johnny’s smile did not falter. “Hey, no worries! I actually got here early.”

She was clearly checking out the goods, but Johnny knew she too was checking out costume choice. “You’re dressed as Luigi, correct~?”

“You got it!” Johnny grinned, and held two thumbs up akin to the Fonz.

“We’re so well matched. We’ll stand out as the only… in the crowd so far tonight.”

Only… only what…? Johnny glanced around to check out the other costumes to buy time to figure out what could’ve been said. What does her costume and Luigi have in common? … Oh! She must mean that costume is also from a video game!

“I think you’re right!” Johnny’s grin widened as his eyes returned to see her’s. Huh… Imagine that, it was like… fate or something brought them together with near-matching costumes… well, matching in the sense that they originated from the same medium. That’s like saying “two colours in a watercolour paint kit.” Not that Johnny would know anything about that sort of thing… well… he sorta does… kinda… He had many… friends back in America. The only thing he ever drew was an attempt at an album cover. The others in his core group all drew superior images, however. It was pretty laughable, although…

No… not a good time to think about that. To try to hide the slight glaze his eyes may have developed, the foreigner blinked and glanced up to the location he and the other students were meant to party at. The handsome-looking traditional Japanese castle would soon be inhabited by teenagers dressed in Halloween costumes. Johnny wondered what cool cultural stuff resided within the fortress walls, and how jarring it would look juxtaposed with these kids in absurd modern attire.

“Anyway, let us go.” Johnny continued. He bowed his head a little in a respectful nod and offered a chiseled arm as bare as most of Gen. He couldn’t wait to see what cool stuff lay in wait for himself and the rest of the students. To the rest of the crowd, he shouted, “Let’s get this party starteeeed! WHOO!” with a voice like an R&B legend.

Hopefully he’d keep it together… keep it together through this… reminder… This isn’t a date for me, after all… A school project… a field trip… something that isn’t… But then again… Gen should have a good time all the same. I mean… she probably expects this to be a date. Johnny didn’t like the idea of this being a date, but he loathed making enemies. Sometimes it couldn’t be helped, but Johnny never consciously made the effort to be malicious. He never considered the mere thought. One thing was absolute: Gen deserved a fun time. After all, she agreed to join the foreigner. Hopefully it’ll work out.

Glancing inside wide-open entrances to the many buildings, Johnny spotted the furnishings within the assorted turrets and buildings within the walls. The interior consisted of wooden pillars and wooden walls, holding up a wooden ceiling only Johnny could consider “low”. Dark wooden floors covered the entire walkable interior. Every plank was polished evenly to a mirror shine. The mixture of subtle reds and browns, and the whites of the walls, reminded Johnny of pictures of some old, middle-class houses in Italy. The general architecture, however, did not resemble anything European. There was a greater presence of rectangles, rather than triangles. between the shelves that held blade-less pole-arm handles, and the grid-like windows covered in a thin membrane of paper, and the perfectly vertical, or perfectly horizontal support beams, one was hard-pressed to find a single angle that was not ninety degrees.

Most of the locations were shut off due to other events, but the path leading to the intended location was very easy to navigate.

The intended location was not just an interior. Outside of the main building was a large flat plateau- a field of grass bordered by gravel pathways held along the edge of an enormous retaining wall. Looming over the largest grassy field was the main building of the large castle. It looked ever more impressive the closer Johnny got. It was nice to feel small every once in a while, especially when one felt so big every other time.

Inside the castle was obviously an old-style emperor’s court repurposed to a dance floor. Surrounding the floor itself sat dozens of well-kept suits of traditional samurai armour. ”If I had more time to prepare, I probably would’ve gone as a samurai,” Johnny joked.

He and his friends watched old martial arts movies, as was fitting for kids from their area. The theatre was run-down and cheap, and almost never had any new releases until months later when the owner went to the bigger cities to pick up DVD’s. That theatre also had the most comfortable chairs in the world. Best of all, the owner always made sure they didn’t squeak.

… Shit shit shit don’t think about the past. It’s about the present. It’s about the now!

“So, uh… Couldn’t figure out how to say this in Japanese, but I’ve never been to a Japanese dance before. I guess they’re pretty different from stuff back in America?” Johnny asked in English with a laugh, “Well, besides the decor, I mean.”

Popularity + 1 Gen *gm edit* (Yup, thanks! I forgot it. my bad)

---

Skylar hunched her shoulders forward and giggled into the tips of her fingers at the reactions of her jumpscare under her ghost cover. She was really proud making the giant hunk (Johnny), Sora and maybe others visibly flinch at her little prank. Hulk man started laughing (Johnny) but the senior she was living with was not as amused (Sora). "Skylar, you're too loud." She overly enthusiastically slapped Sora's back hard that he almost kneed over. "You can never be too loud for a party!" Skylar then froze, twisting her head eerily to stare at him. She was hidden under the white tablecloth with eye holes to speak, see and give her horns breathing space but she still had no idea how it was possible to be identified. "Wha?! How did you know it's me?!" she swayed side to side, the cloth moving along with her body as she tried to imitate her idea of a real ghost. "For all you know I could be the GHOST of Skylar!" she lied through her teeth, trusting in her costume's low detection risk. "Good evening to you all as well." Skylar hovered over to the stranger (Ryou) when he greeted everyone, with a tick for getting close to people she hadn't met before. This dude acted indifferent to Sora's poking around with his clothes but could he handle Skylar too? "Woahhh! If you unbuttoned your red shirt a bit more, I'd see your nipples!" she exclaimed getting on her tiptoes to examine the chest she spoke of. "Can I see? I'll show you how to purple nurple.." she whispered creepily staring him right in the eyes only moving away when another stranger (Kei) entered the picture. Skylar stopped tiptoeing, returning the weight to her heels about to hover over to the samurai but the person she was waiting for finally turned up to steal her attention and affection. "Wow, everyone's costumes look great!"

"Blondie-kun!" That was how the Japanese would say, right? Skylar still did not know the name of her stranger danger date. She hovered over to him at the speed of lightning that her shoes screeched as she halted in front of him with their bodies only an inch away from bumping. "It's me! Skylar!" she announced, swaying side to side again to imitate ghost behavior. "Bet you couldn't guess it was me, huh?" she stopped moving, putting her hands on her hips to stand proudly. Her weird horns were a dead giveaway though...
Not leaving a single gap in her speech for him to speak, she dramatically pinched the end of the cloth she wore and flung it over revealing her other costume as a seductive cop. She allowed the cloth to hit ground while she winked at him waiting for his approval. Can't go wrong with TWO costumes! Her hair was in two ponytails to fit the hat and making her active personality look more messy with how they bounced to each action. She raised a hand to adjust the hat better along the back, tilting her head to make it easier on herself. "Just a sec." When the back snapped on just right, she resumed the conversation. "So what's shaking Blondie?" Skylar had run out of things to say. It wasn't like it was her party, she had no clue what was supposed to happen next until her focus drifted again; a short attention span. "I'm really digging the wild look!" she praised, moving around him to pet his tails and gasping openly when they moved. Rolling up her non existent sleeves, "Oh no you didn't!" She leaped forward like a hunter for prey, grabbing and hugging a tail against her chest like a plushie.

---

+1 Popularity [Johnny]
+1 Popularity [Ryou]
+1 Popularity [Bishop]

When they arrived at the courtyard, Kazuki scanned the crowd, not for familiar faces, really. He could care less about those guys. They were not important to him than his own self-interest. He had a whole other agenda on mind as he smirked at the sight of the women wearing such various types of costumes. His imagination was running wild at the many instances he could use it for. It was really a good thing he escaped the clutches of his overbearing uncle that seemed to have grown-up in an era where fun was not a word at all. That uncle of his, better not be here or something. It would be best to enter the castle already, he could have all the chit-chat later if his date proves to be boring and all.

"Definitely." He answered as his attention returned on Tsukiko. There was his signature smirk as he grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her towards him. He then wrapped his free arm around her, securing her against his body with one of their arms still up in the air. His face awfully closed to hers. The scene indeed got the attention of the students who were still present at the yard. Some whistled at them, took pictures, and even cheered Kazuki on, well, he was quite known for his uninhibited actions. "Just remember, Vampire-chan," His breath so seductively close to her lips, for the fact his lips were just a hair strand away. "You're my mine for the night."

"KAZUKI!" He knew it, that uncle of his won't just let it down. It would be good for that man to take it a rest, all this anger can get to the heart, doesn't that man know that? It's not his damn fault that school was boring earlier, that was entirely the school's fault in his personal opinion, but somehow, they had decided that his voice doesn't matter much on the grand scale of things. "Okay, Vampire-chan, hold on tight, alright?" He then unceremoniously carried her into his arms and sprinted through the courtyard. The other students were surprised as Kazuki zoomed passed them while carrying Tsukiko. It was like a scene where Big Bad Wolf had taken Red Riding Hood from the Huntsman or something.

"Hey guys! Be a champ and stall that raging rhino, okay!" He shouted to the others which were, Ryou, Akira, Arietta, and some guy (Tadashi), a small kid (Mai); oh that's his junior, "Oi, Shrimp! Take care of the Math Teacher for me, I'll treat ya later!" He didn't notice the presence of the newcomers, Skylar, Kei, and Bishop as he passed by them in record time. It was also quite the scene with Kazuki's speedy and athletic stunts. He was soon inside the castle, which was a safe zone. Since, those are only paired can enter. He read that earlier, despite his seemingly no-care interest on what he doesn't like, he was pretty observant.

"We're on the clear!" He smiled at that knowledge, with a boyish grin. He then looked at Tsukiko. "You all good, Vampire-chan? Did I frazzle you?" He said with that devilish eyes of his, before putting her down. "You're quite the piece of work, aren't you? Making me work hard." That was true, as beads of sweat could be seen forming on his forehead and a bit on his chest, but nothing excessive. As he was settling her down on the floor, he gave her a playful nip at the nick, just one though before finally letting her go. He then stretched his limbs, it was quite the show as it also displayed his muscle definitions fully from the exposed upper body. "It might just mean you're worth to die for, huh, Vampire-chan. So, wanna take a look around? or just head to the hall and party."

---

---

Kei's entire body tensed as he could tell the girl in the ghost costume (Skylar) was going to approach him. What could he really do in a social setting like this? Running away would prove humiliating, and it wasn't like he could hit her. Before it came to such measures, Kei found himself thankful that the blonde student (Bishop) dressed as a nine tailed fox tore her attention away from him. That was close... While his heart was finally starting to beat again, he returned his gaze to the taller male, just barely catching his name. This fear of his was really distracting, and despite his hatred for it, he couldn't seem to move past it. He couldn't forget what he did, because that would disgrace her memory. It was his fault, his infatuation with a girl ruined his life. Girls were trouble, distracting, dangerous. He couldn't forget that, else he may make the same mistake all over again..

"I'm Giou, Ryou."

Kei nodded, letting the name resound in his head a few times. Giou-San, Giou-Senpai..? I think that he'd be older than me, so I think Senpai is the safest.. This is such a drag.. Who came up with the honorifics system anyway? He thought to himself with a perplexed expression on his face. He noted that the tall male seemed to be suffering from the same conundrum that he was, as he did not answer immediately. It was a relief to know that he wasn't the only one struggling to meet the dance's requirement.

"No, I don't have one."

"It's only day two in the school year, what did they expect..?" He said that, but judging by the pairings he had seen, a lot of others students were not afflicted by the same struggle where the 'date' ordeal was concerned. Kei looked Ryou over once again, letting out a sigh, "If someone who looks like you does not get a date, I'm doomed." Then when cameras began to flash, Kei tilted his head. Of course the male before him was beyond attractive, but was he some sort of local celebrity as well? He rubbed the back of his neck, then looked around. He couldn't tell who had a date and who did not at this point, and a guy like him couldn't approach a girl very easily.

"It seems I need to get one now."

Kei blinked with a baffled expression on his face, tilting his head as the man. Was he really going to just ask around until someone he spoke to was dateless? Kei admired Giou's confidence, that much was for sure, but he'd never be able to ask more than once. He did not have the mental or emotional capacity to be turned down, especially when the LAST thing he wanted to do tonight was escort a girl.

"Thanks for the advice, Watari-san."

"No problem, ...Giou-Senpai?" He questioningly replied, unsure if he was correct in his assumption that Giou was not a freshman. Kei realizing he needed to give Giou space to find a date decided to approach the boy dressed as a Neko (Akira) and the small girl next to him (Mai). Deciding to be a bit bold, Kei rubbed the back of his neck, his stance casual despite his nerves and gynophobia, "If you're not going together, do you mind going in with me? There are traps set for those without dates.." He was looking at Mai as he spoke, not even realizing that intruding on another guy's date could get him punched in the face. He would also avoid the word date at any cost. This was NOT a date. He refused to call it that, because Kei did not go on dates with girls, ever. He wasn't even concerned about the boy standing near her, but mostly due to naivety. Besides, if things went awry he had a high pain tolerance, he could take a hit even if he wasn't all that strong. A light blush formed on the samurai's cheeks as he waited for an answer. He secretly hoped that she wouldn't touch him, for better or for worse,"I'm Watari, Kei, what's your name?" The small girl was just about the only girl present that he could look in the eyes and hold a conversation with without feeling the need to flee. Most of the females present were scantily clad, and he could not handle something like that. He'd freak out if one of them approached him. Her hairstyle (Mai's) reminded him of his sister, Kaiya's when they were children, even though Kaiya's was brown and not black. The girl's small stature and slight resemblance to his sister was probably the only thing that kept him grounded at this point, she did not intimidate him as badly as the others because of her younger appearance. If she's anything like Kaiya, I'm screwed.. He thought to himself, not even aware that a small smirk formed on his face, paired with affectionate eyes. It actually wasn't a bad look for him, but why wouldn't he make such an adorable face when remembering his beloved twin sister?

---

---

---

---

"Blondie-kun! It's me! Skylar!" "Uhhhhh-" "Bet you couldn't guess it was me, huh?" Bishop gave her a once over, thinking about it. Truth be told, he would be 90% sure it was here, because of the horns and the sounds of her voice which he was now familiar with. "Aaah, nope. Not at all, you got me. Hehe." He lied and rubbed the back of his head as the blonde fox ears on his head twitched. For a homemade costume, his grandmother did some amazing work. Bishop opened his eyes again to see her (Skylar) stripping off her ghost costume coming out a sexy lingerie cop. His mouth gaped causing him to blush deeply, quite surprised. "So what's shaking Blondie?" He gulped for a moment quite distracted for, obvious reasons. The look was attractive, well to any 15 year old boy a girl in basically what could be considered lingerie would be attractive, or at least garner a lot of attention. But when he came back to, he huffed looking back into Skylar's eyes although he was still blushing. "My- my name is Bishop. Bishop Trander." <This is my date? Oh my god, what if my parents find out.> He knew they wouldn'ty disapprove, quite the opposite actually. His family was all about diversity and being different, his family definitely was. At least in his opinion. He began to wonder about Skylar's family. He still had no idea that she was an exchange student from the U.S.

Bishop sweatdropped when it seemed that Skylar's attention was drawn to something else. Fortunately- or unfortuantely it was something about him. "I'm really digging the wild look!" He blinked looking over himself, not sure what piece of his costume was necessarily 'wild' save for the animal ears and tails. When he looked up Skylar was out of his view. "Oh no you didn't!" "Didn't wha- hey that's my tail!" Bisop's ears perked up in shock only to lay back as she pounced on his tail to cuddle one. He blushed glowering at Skylar but he wasn't a very intimidating person, being so young and kind looking. He began to look around to see if people were watching, some were with amused looks but most were heading to the courtyard. He looked back to Skylar not really sure what to say, seeing the strange girl cuddle one of his many tails. Skylar was like the exact opposte of Bishop. She was loud and 'out there' in your face and unashamedly herself. He admired that, but was finding it a little hard to keep up. At least for now.

Music got the blonde's attention turning to look inside the courtyard, not recognizing the song but already enjoying the rock music. "Aahhh.. Skylar-san? You, wanna head inside and see the actual party?" Bishop sweadropped again with his ears flattening finding her still cuddling with his tail. Out of the corner of his eye, a familiar face sprinted by dragging a girl behind him (Kazuki & Tsukiko). He blinked not really sure what to think, all that he knew was that guy (Kazuki) always seemed to be running from something or to something.... There was a metaphor in there somewhere. As his view panned around, he spotted his friends (or, people he believed to be his friends? Maybe?) Mai/u] and [u]Akira. It looked at though someone (Kei) was asking Mai out which made him smile. Now he had to worry about Akira finding a date too. He felt a little bad for getting a date before his newly made friends, but he had no intentions of ditching them for the dance. He wasn't that kind of person. He awaited for Skylar to gather herself together, with his tails finally not moving for the moment. He wasn't so sure how this night was going to go. But he knew that it was going to be interesting to say the least. Especially for his first school dance.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
+1 Charm (Skylar)