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Tweak says, "You stole my snorkack horn!"

Ito Keiichi (伊藤慶一) (keiito) wrote in disappear_rpg,
@ 2010-08-24 21:16:00

Entry tags:

keiichi, kozue

WHO: Keiichi, Kozue, possibly also Renju
WHAT: Visiting of Kozue
WHERE: Kozue's hotel room
WHEN: After the Wolf's Lair
WHY: Because!

Getting to the proper room hadn't been difficult. The front desk had been all too willing to give him Kozue's room number, after a quick confirmation check. The hotel itself was more opulent than he was used to, plush and well-decorated.

Even as he walked down the hall, though, he felt out of place. Opulence and his family didn't go together. He was reasonably well off by many standards, but "Nanakamado High Student" was not one of them.

Shaking that from his mind, he navigated the halls looking for Kozue's room. His mind was frazzled from a dozen conversations he hadn't wanted to have, but had more or less no choice but to. Time with Kozue would be helpful.

He knocked twice on the door, and waited.

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anthesphoria
2010-08-25 01:36 am UTC (link)

Kozue was at the door quickly—with a speed that suggested the desk had called up to let her know she had a visitor or, as the concierge had said, "a scruffy-looking young gentleman caller". She was well-dressed enough to deserve her surroundings, and her hair was pulled halfway back. It looked, just slightly, a different color; the blond brighter in some places, more variance between dark and light along the sides of her curls. She was even wearing (new) earrings.

Her smile was not quite as bright as her hair, and looked a few shades away from forced, but she managed it. "Hey, senpai. What do you think? This place is really classy. I've never stayed in one of these before."

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keiito
2010-08-25 01:49 am UTC (link)

"It's quite nice. I've never even been in something this nice." He almost chuckled. Keiichi was as out of place here as he could imagine. His wardrobe was entirely unqualified for a place like this, with all of its finery.

Still, even with the scenery, he noticed her the most. She had cleaned up well in the past few day, it seemed, with new clothes and earrings. Even after several showers, Keiichi still didn't feel clean from Paradise. He doubted he ever would again.

"How're you holding up," he asked, nervously toeing at the carpet.

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anthesphoria
2010-08-25 02:09 am UTC (link)

"I got room service," she provided, certainly not apropos of the question, before turning to head back into the room. There were armchairs, and a little coffee table, separating the entrance-way from what looked to be the bed area beyond; it was not a true suite, but it seemed far more spacious than the average budget hotel room. Or even the nicest budget hotel room.

Then, "I'm not great, but I'll be okay." A pause, as she looked for somewhere to settle down. "How about you? You mentioned... Well, I wasn't too sure, but how are you holding up?"

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keiito
2010-08-25 10:17 pm UTC (link)

"I'm...okay, I guess. It's--"

He pulled up a seat in one of the armchairs nearby, and let himself sink down into it. If nothing else, the comfort was nice enough to take some of the edge off of his thoughts.

"I don't know if I made the right choice, Kozue-chan. Oubai-san might not have been it. But at the risk of sounding arrogant, I knew I wasn't."

Something resembling a wry smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Maybe more of the Emperor stuck with me than I thought."

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anthesphoria
2010-08-25 10:23 pm UTC (link)

She picked another of the chairs, flopping down onto it so that her legs were propped over the arm rest, and her head leaned on the one opposite. Her slippers (which were satin, hotel-provided, and which Kozue had decided were definitely coming home secreted inside her suitcase, because they were cute) dangled precariously from her slightly-too-small feet.

"The right choice about telling the Shadow to kill Oubai?"

Just to confirm.

She took a long, slow breath; it would be easy to tell him what she thought, to make him listen (by shouting until he ran out of the room or holding something over his head like sex or some idea of friendship debt), but that was neither productive nor right. "Why are you questioning it? I mean... Well, tell me what you're thinking."

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keiito
2010-09-01 04:01 pm UTC (link)

He nodded, and the look in his eyes was in that dangerous netherworld between satisfaction and worry.

"It was what came to mind immediately. The first thing in my head, alongside 'not me' and 'not Ikeda-san.' Which is an impressive thing in its own right, because before that horror movie, I don't think she and I had said four positive words about each other in months."

Maybe that was the odd part. He'd made the responsible decision to not sacrifice Ikeda, even given their coolness in the past. And yet, at the same time, he'd sacrificed Oubai, who if nothing else was solid in battle.

"I'll be honest, Kozue-chan, I think Oubai's full of shit when he says he'd have done any better in that situation. But..."

After a few more moments of deliberation, he continued.

"It wasn't the optimal decision," Keiichi finally concluded. "But under the circumstances, I think it was good enough. That's what I've decided after thinking about it, anyway."

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