Yanagi had no idea what she ought to expect from a roommate, but some part of her was let down when she didn’t receive an exuberant welcome. She immediately felt bad; she knew she couldn’t expect someone she had never met to live up to an expectation she couldn’t possible have expressed. Embarrassed by her ridiculous thoughts, a small smile appeared on her lips, but she quickly smothered it. “Ah— yes. I am.” She hesitated a moment before saying, “You must be… Jee-va-ru?” she asked, trying her best not to mangle the name, but doing it anyway. On a good day, the English l gave her trouble. When she was embarrassed – even for a stupid, private reason – it gave her hell. D’s weren’t much better. Neither letter existed in Japanese.
She slid into the entrance of the dorm, glancing around. It was the same as her old dorm room, from the previous year, in lay out. There weren’t many decorations. She wondered if Dhivael would mind much if she decorated with charms, lanterns, wind chimes and plants. Setting her box down, she shook her head. “No, I have a few more boxes.” She chewed on the inside of her lip. “If you are busy and only leave the door unlocked, I can bring them over.” It would only take her two more trips. She could carry two of the remaining four boxes at a time; they weren’t as heavy as the first.
“The school doesn’t want to give me a new key until I turn in my old one,” she explained, setting her box on the coffee table the school provided. She wanted to ask if Dhivael might be interested in walking with her, but thought it would be rude and presumptuous. So she remained silent, standing awkwardly by her box. “Ano… Which room is yours? So I know where I can put my things.” She didn’t want to clutter the living room area with her boxes while moving in, either.