infinite_reflection

"Will do!" she called from the bathroom, starting the water. Stepping into the shower, Seiya began to wash off the layer of God knows what.

Fourty-five minutes later, she emerged clean and dressed in fresh clothes, toweling off her hair. Approaching Greg, she frowned apologetically. "Sorry that took so long. I'm sure staring at my walls was an infinite spring of fun." Frown twisting to a smile, she turned back towards the hallway. "Now I get to show you the rest of the house!" Providing he followed her, they'd come up on the three doors Greg'd previously seen. One was half open, showing bathroom tile and a mirror covered with a cloth. The other was blocked by laundry baskets full of folded men's clothing. And finally, the door to what could only be Seiya's room.

"So, are you excited? It's like peering into the unknown when you first see a friends room."

"Oh, no big deal." Greg looked vaguely concentrated on the screen, and she'd hear a twang followed by something like an explosion coming from his phone's little speaker. "Bah. They make this crap too hard." A button on the side dimmed the screen to black and then he stood up, taking a look at Seiya before nodding in approval. "You look, uh... Fresher than before, to say the least. Here's hoping you don't come down with something." He followed her first with his eyes, at least until the girl hit the hallway, and then promptly realized that he was meant to follow. "Oh! Uh, coming."

There was the bathroom, obvious from what was inside... The blocked door would likely be her father's room, then. No womens' clothing to be seen in that laundry basket, which meant either her mother didn't fold specifically that or her mother wasn't -there- to do that task. Greg wasn't about to ask, that was rude as hell in any culture, so he directed his attention to the only closed door that likely mattered. "Well, uh, I hardly think my little cave was that exciting. I'm expecting red, white and blue everywhere, though." He snorted, one hand on his hip.

Seiya chuckled, sliding the door to her room open. The inside was a bit more spacious than his room. It was to be expected, of course, seeing as she didn't live in an apartment. There wasn't red white and blue everywhere, per-say, but there definitely was some! An american flag pillow sat on her bed, which was also the home to several cute plushes. The wall adjacent to it held posters for various bands, and of course, a vintage uncle sam poster.

Her room also included a desk, computer and television. Various game systems sat atop the TV, the PS2 still on. Seiya gestured to her room as a whole with a smile, "It's not exactly what you were expecting, I'm sure."

A small table by the door held her american flag bag, as well as a few pictures of her and Miho, most likely from Miho's entrance ceremony. Stepping into Seiya's room had an odd air about it, as if the duo had entered a completely different house.

A lot more normal than he'd expected, to be perfectly honest! The few pieces of patriotic paraphernalia were obvious, but the rest looked... Well, like a normal teenager's room, more or less. Now that he thought about it, Greg wasn't quite sure what he had been expecting, but it most definitely wasn't this. It was a good kind of surprise, though, and he nodded slowly while taking his first look around the place. "Pretty cool. A lot like mine, just uh... More room, really." And more decoration, but he'd be fixing that likely this weekend.

Finding a place to sit was always weird for him, so Greg decided to instead stand near the door and keep on looking this way and that. There was plenty to take in, so that worked out well. "No pets, huh? I heard they're less, uh... Common over here, anyway."

Seiya wandered to her bed, flopping on the edge before grabbing a hair brush from the nearby vanity. Combing out the tangles in her hair, she watched him with an amused grin. It WAS awkward, finding a place to sit in someone else's space.

"No, no pets. My dad's allergic to everything that breathes." She struggled with a particularly stubborn strand of hair. "Did you have any back home?"

Well, he'd just... Nrrrf. Greg shifted a little awkwardly, then just went for it. Whatever! The boy took a seat beside Seiya on the bed with a slight sigh of relief, and now that that was over he could loosen up a little bit. "Oh, uh, well that stinks. I've never had any, but I want a cat... Maybe I'll talk to dad about it. I think our apartment, uh... Allows them..." He scratched at his chin, trying to think on that for a moment. "Maybe. I'll ask at the front desk, I guess."

"Anyway, uh, you have a cool room. Cute little stuffed animals and stuff, too..." He twisted his body to look at the few of them behind him. Greg had a few in those still-packed boxes, actually; he was sort of glad that Seiya didn't get to see those. It was embarrassing for a guy, all right?

She seemed pleased that he felt comfortable enough to sit next to her! Joining in the turn glance, she smiled, "Thanks~ I think a cat would be a good idea." Nodding, she set the brush down before going into the tedious task of tying all that hair back.

Without a mirror, this proved difficult, yet she managed. It seemed all mirrors in the house had been covered by various sheets. Seiya took no chances when it came to the mirror world.

"Ever thought about a haircut? Looks like that's a little hard to manage." Greg's hair was the longest it had been in a while, actually, and he used to sport it a lot shorter... Just got lazy, for the most part, and hadn't visited a barber before they came here. He wasn't really fluent enough to convey exactly what he'd want all the way over the ocean, either, so for now it would have to grow out. "Mine used to be, uh... Really short, actually. Probably look weird to you, since you've already seen me like this."

"Nope, never." She shrugged, as if it really didn't matter. It would take too long to go into detail, and probably scare him away, had she chosen to go on about why. Basically, it boiled down to control. Tons of things changed with little input from Seiya, but the one constant in her life seemed to be her hair. She did, however, flash him a silly look when he mentioned his being a lot shorter. "How weird! I like it how it is." Seiya nodded matter-of-factly.

Greg shrugged; he really didn't care how his hair was to be perfectly honest. It wasn't a thing he had to look at often... No one had mentioned that they preferred it -short-, and now there was one in support of its current look, so he couldn't argue with the technical majority. "I'll keep it then, uh.. I guess." She'd answered really quickly in regards to her own hair, but some people were confident with one look and he had no problem with that! Now, back to her room...

"I didn't realize you, uh... Played video games, here." Maybe she'd mentioned it? He'd feel dumb if Seiya had before. She seemed competent enough in the arcade, so maybe he should've just assumed. Then again, it didn't seem like she was home a lot at all! There was a whole lot to consider and he really should just stop reading into all of this.

Comfortably returning to her seat, she hugged her american flag pillow. God bless. At the mention of video games, she smiled. "Yeah! All night." One could say she was studying up so they'd have more to talk about! She wouldn't really bring that up though. "That's what I was doing when that--" she gestured to the patched up window, "--happened. Lucky I wasn't hit in the head!"

Greg glanced at the not-so-much-a window. He'd seen it on the way in, though asking then seemed like it'd be weird. Now was an ample opportunity though, so he looked at it for a moment and then reached up to scratch idly at his cheek. "What happened there? Kids playing baseball or, uh, or something?" It must get drafty in here, now that he thought about it. Brrr.

"Yes, actually!" She got up, grabbing a roll of tape to seal up some of the edges that'd come loose. Seiya didn't know the first thing about replacing a window, and it seemed her dad wasn't really relevant enough to take charge. "Kota-kun from school did it, actually. So I invited him in and we played some games."

"Wouldn't really call that punishment for breaking a window, but uh..." Greg shrugged, watching her tape that thing back up and rubbing at his chin in the meantime. If he knew the first thing about fixing a window, he'd probably offer her help with it. As it stood though, the boy knew absolutely nothing and would probably hurt one or both of them if he volunteered! "Don't think I know anyone named Kota. I guess I haven't been here long, though."

Seiya set the tape down, smoothing the edges around the window. A few towels were scattered below it, probably for when it rained. "I forget what year he's in..." She grabbed another piece of cardboard, the words 'Yamada Mart' stamped on it, adding another layer to her makeshift window. "Also, it was an accident, so." Kota was just lucky her dad hadn't been home! "Eventually I'll just pay someone to fix it, I think."

The boy nodded with that suggestion... Sounded like the best route; if any kind of rainstorm came by she'd probably end up with half of her room all wet. "That'll probably be best, uh, yeah." He shrugged and then leaned back a bit on one of his hands. It was still weird sitting on Seiya's bed, let alone being in her room at all, but Greg was trying to get used to it. He hadn't had real friends in a while, okay? "Either way, it's a neat room. Probably what mine would look like if I had, uh... More space, really."

Finishing up, she skipped back to his side, flopping down. "Probably!" she agreed, falling back to stare up at the ceiling. Kicking her feet out idly, Seiya thought for a moment. "I definitely need to help you decorate, mmhm." Way to invite yourself over.

"Huhm? Oh... I was planning on unpacking within the next few days, uh... If you wanted to help." Probably a good idea, now that he thought about it, because Greg was liable to get lazy and just slap up all the posters willy-nilly and call that 'done'. It took a certain touch (and effort) to make a room look nice, and he really didn't have the patience for it. That, and having a friend over would admittedly be nice. Maybe when his dad could see, so it didn't seem like he was still all anti-social. That'd show him, eh? "Yeah, actually. You want to?"

"[Yes!]" Oh boy, another adventure to Greg's house! It was like Christmas and her birthday all wrapped into one! As she hoisted herself up, the sound of the front door unlocking echoed down the hallway. Seiya froze, staring out towards the door like it was foreign.

A tall man pushed his way inside, sliding his shoes off at the front entrance. He seemed to be holding a few Yamada Mart bags, making his way to the kitchen. The typical Japanese dynamics of 'I'm home!' didn't really apply to him, and he made no effort to call out for Seiya.

Was that a noise from the door? Maybe her dad was home. Greg wasn't worried, at least not at first, until he saw that his friend didn't look very confident at the moment. He opened his mouth to ask her why, then shut it, and then joined her in staring a little intensely at the door.

Was it okay for Seiya to have a friend over? To have a boy over? She seemed old enough, in Greg's opinion..! That didn't mean her father held the same one, though. Regardless of that he didn't want to -speak-, so instead the poor boy continued to look like a deer in the headlights, here.

Seiya stood up, looking more confused than afraid. She twiddled her thumbs, pacing her room for a moment. Turning to Greg, she spoke in a low voice, "He's never home when I'm awake."

The noises from the kitchen were that of Seiya's dad putting some things away, and started the oven. His footsteps could be heard down the hall, and he paused to open Seiya's door. The man looked young, but not as happy as he did in the pictures in the hallway. He stared at Greg as if he was some kind of animal. Getting over it, the man turned to Seiya. "3 to 8." Closing the door again, it was like he'd never been there.

"Is that bad?" The boy used an equally hushed voice, looking just as confused as Seiya, and kept his eyes on the door for the most part. It came to something like a crescendo with those footsteps down the hall, and then the older man opened her door and poor Greg just about lost his shit. He didn't get the nicest look, and expected something like yelling to follow it up, but then there were only three words (or two numbers and one word) and Seiya's dad was gone.

Greg exhaled a heavy sigh of relief, he'd been holding his breath for a moment there, and tried not to look too frazzled. It didn't really work! When he spoke, it was still pretty hushed. "Not a wordy guy, uh, huh? Heh..."

As Seiya's dad closed the door, her whole demeanor changed. She was back to herself, moving to her calendar quickly. Penciling in the information she'd just been given on tomorrow's date, she turned to him with a look of 'no shit.' "My dad doesn't usually even TALK to me. That right there was a phenomenon."

The phenomenon here was how normal everything suddenly was, in Greg's mind! How could one person go from looking so confused to so terribly normal in the span of one three word 'conversation'? He shook his head and blinked a few times, clearing his head of that, and then spoke up after a little clear of his throat. "Uh, that... That sucks, I'm sorry. You're not in trouble, right? I'd hate if, uh... Y'know, I got you into something like that."

Seiya circled the time as well, glancing back at Greg. "No, I'm not in trouble. That's my work schedule." She smiled awkwardly. This was the reason she rarely brought anyone over. "He usually just texts it to me."

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