June 27 /Coffee /PG /Open

[alyssa]

Character(s): Mayumi Yoshida & whoever wants to join!
Time: Early evening, around 5 P.M.
Location: Cafeteria

It had begun to rain outside, which woke Mayumi from her short nap. Her dorm room's windows were open and the breeze was horribly chilly. She quickly collected her thoughts - and her thickest sweater - and scrambled from the room.

A while later, Mayumi found herself in the cafeteria. Her stomach was growling, but she was far too nervous to eat. It had been a hell of a day for her... or, something that she considered a "hell of a day." She'd met a lot of people, and, to her, that was exhausting.

Glancing around the room, Mayumi's eyes landed on a row of coffee and tea machines. Her stomach growled again, but she ignored it, striding quickly toward the opposite wall of the room.

There were quite a number of students for it being such an unimportant time in the evening - lunch had long passed, and dinner was still an hour or so off. Mayumi had to dodge a few chairs that were carelessly flung in her direction. She sent the culprits accusatory scowls, snarling "Prick," at a particularly rude student.

Heaving a heavy sigh when she made it across the room unscathed, Mayumi filled up a large cup with the hot coffee, smiling when the smell hit her nose.

When she turned towards the sugar and cream, however, she ran into something hard and dropped the beverage on the pearly white floor.

[mellie427]

Hiromi felt depressed. In a metaphorical sense.
She knew she would meet boys...but God...they were EVERYWHERE.

So on days like these, especially when it's raining, she had to go get some coffee. It's what cheered her up. And it made her feel closer to home...
she remembered her home in China, it would rain every sunday and her mom would give her a little cup of coffee.

She missed those days, she missed her mom. Oh great, now she really was starting to get depressed.

Grabbing a small plastic cup, she poured herself some coffee, she liked it black, and began walking.

She herself, brought her nose close to the open mouth of the cup to take in it's special aroma. It made her feel relaxed and comfo--

Then she bumped into something. In the same second she gave a yelp of surprise, she didn't have an iron grip on her cup, and spilled some coffee on her face and blouse, and heard the cuff of another cup falling onto the floor.

She didn't yell, as she expected it to be her fault, and looked in front of her, a girl--for once!

Hiromi's eyes widened and she picked up the coffee cup from the floor and messily wiped the liquid from her face. She looked down at the spilled mess...

She wasn't sure if she should clean it or if she should wait for the janitors. That was besides the point, Hiromi immediately inspected the girl, praying that she wasn't hurt in any way--but saw no injury, just the empty space in her hand once holding a coffee cup and her shocked expression.

"Oh my..." Hiromi started worriedly, she hoped the girl wasn't mad at her. Who knew what this school's people were like? Maybe like New Yorkers or people with Kanto accents, they were usually the yankees in Japan. At least, the ones she met. "I am so sorry! Ah...here I'll go get you another coffee...uh...gee I hope you aren't mad at me! I take full blame!"
She said and bowed, half of it was an act though, she was studying to see what reaction the girl would give her.

[alyssa]

It took Mayumi a moment to realize what had happened. The cup was gone from her hand, and her shoes were currently soaking up the brown liquid on the floor. There was also a girl standing in front of her with the same brown liquid soaking into her shirt. Mayumi saw the girl's lips moving, but couldn't make out what she was saying.

The girl... bowed... Mayumi hadn't seen anyone but the women at the temple bow when they spoke to someone. It was strange, to say the least. And she wasn't going to return the action.

Mayumi held up her hand. "I'll get it, go clean off your shirt." she told the bowing girl. Mayumi turned around and walked quickly - he shoes squeaking - toward a napkin dispenser. She wasn't about to let the girl clean up after her, even if they were technically both to blame.

Grabbing a few hundred napkins, Mayumi squeaked back to the spill and dropped down to the floor, watching the girl's shoes to see if she were leaving yet.

[mellie427]

"Huh?"
Hiromi raised her head to see the girl disappear. Did the girl bow back at her? Did she stay down too long? Urgh, she really had to look up Japanese culture again. She forgot everything in America.
But then she looked around and saw her walking to the napkins container.
No way, Jose.
Or actually Mayumi, but whatever.

Hiromi's elevated school shoes (kind of like a high heel without the high heel) did not get soaked in Mayumi's spilled liquid, and she chased after the girl in her un-squeaking shoes.

"N-N-No! I can clean it up myself, it's fine!" She said and reached over to grabbed a few hundred napkins along with her.
She had honor too, she wasn't going to let the girl just clean up after her.
"And hey, it's no big deal, I can always wash it and get a new one!" She said and laughed, hoping it would be reassuring. "And I can buy you new shoes if you want too..."

She walked over to the puddle of coffee and gently put the napkins down, stepping on them and rubbing them around the floor.
This, is her attempt at cleaning.

[alyssa]

Mayumi sighed quietly, listening to the persistent girl continue to talk. The girl grabbed a handful of napkins herself, dropping the stack on to the puddle with a bit more force than necessary. A small splash of still-hot coffee flew up and scorched Mayumi's cheek.

She hissed, slapping a hand over the burn.

The girl continued to talk, however. "And I can buy you new shoes if you want too..."

That angered Mayumi quite a bit. It was coffee supplied by the school, soaking in to a cheap, 450 Yen pair of flats Mayumi had picked up on the street in Shinjuku. It really wasn't the end of the world.

"Not necessary," Mayumi told her. Hoisting herself up from the floor and moving the toss the napkins and empty cup in the trash. She headed in the direction of the machines again, making sure the girl didn't follow her.

While filling up her cup, Mayumi heard clicking again before she felt a presence behind her. What now?

[mellie427]

As she continued to attempt at her weird cleaning, she picked up the napkins and tossed it into the trash can.
She hated herself, she couldn't make one friend, could she?
She groaned and felt her depression seeping into her brain.
She sighed and reminded herself to take her pills when she got back to her dorm.

As the girl refused to her measly compensation she nodded, but had to ask again. "Are you sure?" She asked, a little worried.
I mean, she wasn't one for spending, but she had the money, and thought that people would want an exact copy of what they used to have if damaged.

As the girl finished her part too, she went away to get some more coffee.
Hiromi stayed behind and bit her lip, feeling terrible, still.
She sighed and decided to go talk to her, maybe learn more about her? Befriend her?
She was pretty bored and would hate to have someone like her hate her.

She walked to her, standing behind her in the line, though she still had half a cup of coffee.
"Um...I never got your name. I'm Hiromi." She started and smiled, in case she turned around.

[alyssa]

Mayumi glanced over her shoulder at the uncertain girl as she asked, "Are you sure?" She chuckled a bit. This girl went from brave and slightly pushy to timid faster than Mayumi would have thought possible.

"I'm sure," she told the girl, her gaze moving from her back down to Mayumi's shoes. "It's nothing I can't wash."

Seconds later, Mayumi felt the girl standing behind her. She wanted to sigh, or tell her to vamoose, but she kept quiet as she filled up her new cup. When the liquid was close enough to the top that Mayumi still had room to add cream, she took a step to her right - avoiding running into the girl again - then turned on her heel to face her.

"Um...I never got your name. I'm Hiromi." The other girl - Hiromi - told her.

Mayumi held out her hand to the Hiromi, but her blank expression was unfaltering. "Mayumi Yoshida, singing major." She said, taking a little sip of her coffee, and, forgetting that it was black, wrinkling her nose.

[mellie427]

She ignored her chuckles, and looked down at her shoes with her. Okay, so the shoes looked pretty cheap, but still.
"Well if you're fine with it...then"

She watched as the girl filled her coffee and cautiously took a step to the right, that made her chuckle.
"Yeah sorry about that one last time, I guess I'm pretty clumsy."

Now that Hiromi thought of it, gosh she could hold that poker face forever, huh? She smiled. Well, one of those mysteries of life she never knew. She took Mayumi's hand and gave it a gentle, friendly shake.
Then she said her name.
"Mayumi Yoshida, singing major." Hiromi gasped and then smiled wide.

"Singing major?" She asked. "That's amazing! You must be such a good singer--oh I'm so jealous."
She was, honestly. She couldn't count how many voice acting roles she lost to others because she couldn't sing.
"I'm an Acting Major, but I really can't sing at all." She laughed, a little nervously at that, well it was the truth. And it was hard to some people to admit it, and it took her years to admit it herself.
"You're lucky, you have talent."
So did Hiromi herself, but she had yet to admit it to anyone.
It was only a matter of progress in the Acting class, then everyone would realize it. I guess.

She gave her scrunched up face a curious look.
"You don't like bla--" She remebered the color of the liquid on the floor, it was a creamy brown, unlike her scary-looking black. "Oh yeah, you put cream in yours. I like mine black. I don't know why, I just do." She said and shrugged.

[alyssa]

Mayumi wondered if the girl was gushing because she was nervous. She also wondered what kind of sorcery it would take to get the girl to talk slower. Mayumi wasn't accustomed to people speaking so quickly.

"You're lucky, you have talent." Hiromi told her. She sounded like she meant it, but her tone suddenly went somber. It only lasted until Mayumi sipped her coffee, and she was back to smiling and chatting again.

"I do alright for myself - talent can't really be defined by one or a few person's opinions." Mayumi shrugged.

"You don't like bla-" Hiromi looked back to the place Mayumi has dropped her cup. "Oh yeah, you put cream in yours. I like mine black. I don't know why, I just do."

Mayumi wrinkled her nose once more. "Black coffee is too bitter," she said. "It smells great, but tastes awful."

She turned away from the other girl, mixing the sugar and cream into her drink then taking a long drink.

[mellie427]

Hiromi was nervous, and she would never want to act like someone she wasn't except on stage, so you got the actual her. Made up of nervous and awkward. As she took a sip of her half-spilled black coffee, her nervousness started to fade a little.

She looked really stupid. With her messed up hair, slightly crooked glasses, and the large double-coffee stain on her white button up. She still held a smile on her face, as if she looked beautiful without all of those petty messups on her appearance.
"Nah, if you can sing, you have it. And you can always get better or something." She smiled. "Would it be alright if I asked you...I'd love to hear you sing?"

She laughed when she mentioned the horribleness of coffee. "Yeah, but that's exactly what keeps me going actually, the bitterness is so gross, it kind of wakes me up and makes me more awake. I won't get spoiled either, with the sweetness, so that way I'll enjoy other foods/drinks better." An idiot's explanation is what sums up what came out of her mouth just now.

"So why'd you come in here while it's outside raining?" She asked. "It's a beautiful day, even if it is raining." She smiled, obviously a fan of the rain.

[alyssa]

Mayumi was in the middle of pouring her third sugar packet into the brown liquid when Hiromi asked her, "Would it be alright if I asked you...I'd love to hear you sing?" causing Mayumi to drop the packet into her coffee all together.

She swore, dipping her fingers into the coffee to retrieve it, then whirled to face Hiromi. At first, Mayumi had been angry, but, as she looked at the girl, she had to fight the urge to smile.

Hiromi still stood there with a large coffee stain soaking into her blouse, but didn't seem bothered by it in the slightest. Mayumi would have been running to her dorm to change without even apologizing - let alone sticking around to talk.

"Sure," Mayumi said, nodding, "I put on my own little private practices almost every day around seven p.m. - just come by the music hall tomorrow around then and I should be there."

Mayumi turned to but cream in her coffee this time, dropping the still-dripping packet in an extremely close trashcan.

"Why'd you come in here while it's outside raining?" Hiromi asked her.

Mayumi glanced out of the window, a fond smile playing at her lips. She turned to Hiromi, taking a sip of her now-perfect coffee. "I love the rain" - another sip - "I wish I could be out there right now." Shrugging, she continued. "It was too stuffy in my room and my roommate refuses to let me open the windows, so I had to get out of there."

Sip.

"Why are you here?"

[mellie427]

She watched Mayumi curiously and peeked around her to see her drop her...she inwardly laughed, what is this, her seventeeth? packet of sugar. But she smiled, she must be a huge sweet tooth, then. She was too, but not as much. So maybe under that pokerface she put up, she's into cute and sweet stuff? It would be a funny development to the personality she knew, at least from this far.

Then asking about singing, Mayumi dropped the packet, and she bit her lip at first, worried, and then she dipped her fingers into retrieve it and looked back at her. She was serious, however, yet excited at the same time. Of course, oblivious to her, it was her outfit as well.

"7 PM?" She noted. "Got it! I'll be sure to come over!" She smiled.

She loved the rain too? Hiromi wondered why she wasn't out there yet.

Mayumi sipped her coffee and stared up at her. "Why are you here?"

"Actually I was going to sit outside after I got my coffee--but I seem to have a delay." She said. "But I'm not saying it's your fault at all--you know, do you want to join me out there?" She asked happily and pointed slightly at the windows with the downpour hitting against them. "We don't have to sit outside in the rain, but underneath the shingles, they have benches there too..so..."

[alyssa]

Hiromi interrupted herself, pointing to the rain-spotted windows. "You know, do you want to join me out there?"

Mayumi glanced behind her and out the windows, watching the rain trickle down the glass. She considered it for a moment - Mayumi had no desire to go back to her room and sit there quietly while her roommate huffed at her.

"Sure," Mayumi said, turning to find a lid for her coffee.

The dark-haired girl loved the rain, and would often sit on the steps of the temple with her brother and sister and watch the water hit the earth. None of them spoke while they did that - it was peaceful, and perfect.

Mayumi missed it, and Hiromi seemed like the perfect substitute while she was away from home.

(OOC: Sorry it's so short - it's 2:49 A.M )