[Midlandia] Just One Note

[gunslingerqueen]

[A series of events occurred which were incredibly important and ultimately life changing.

But frankly her attention span was always rather limited. What really mattered above all else was that she and Nathan were free, and it didn't require Vergil's scolding or leaving the country. They had been adopted into this pack with considerably minimal fuss. They had a roof, food, and a way to get to and from school. The best part was that there was no one to hit her anymore, no more getting thrown left and right into walls or furniture, and Nathan no longer had to hear all the yelling and insults. They could be living in a high class sewer and Nariko would still be happy.

And while she'd made her gratuity very clear to the Alpha she's been otherwise quite normal! Nariko had survived the state of things because she knew how to control herself, how to present properly. So ever since they'd been given their space she'd gone about meeting everyone she could, being both agreeable and fun, while Nathan clung to her side the whole time.

Lately, though, he's been feeling a little more like himself. On this particular day she's sprawled all over the couch while Nathan watches some movie directly in front of her. If she's supposed to give a single crap about her tiny shorts or tank top then ... Actually, no, why would she? It hasn't occurred to Nariko to dress or act differently, especially because there's so many women. Besides, she's kind of idly watching it with him or occasionally toying with her phone, and really she'd practically beg for something fun to do. Ugh.]

Comments

[masabros]

Then--- then we should do it! That'll be... the plan!

[ Lena, huh? Masaomi appraises that response in a variety of ways, still walking backwards but putting his hand in his pocket and somewhat surprisingly nimbly shifting how he walked to get out of the way of someone ahead of them on the sidewalk. Apparently he's good at spacial awareness. But he also hums a bit. Really weird, huh? ]

The stylings of our city might even be attractive, we could be profoundly touched or usher Nate-kun onto puberty or whatever else!

[gunslingerqueen]

[Is that some kind of almost superhero talent? Nariko would be smacking into people left and right if she tried to walk backwards. Mikado's enthusiasm makes her grin, though, and suddenly she's looking forward to another date even though she'd been dedicated to that whole 'hard to get' attitude earlier in the day.

She blinks at Masaomi, though, more curious than truly confounded.]

You kind of lost me again.

[But whatever he meant to say sounded great!]

[generalflirt]

The art, the art, of course!

[ Mikado looks at his (boy?)friend balefully now, leaning in on Nariko in a moment of genuine boldness born mostly out of not really being aware what he was doing. And he responds, just as flatly, ]

Don't worry, no one knows what he's saying.

Hey, hey, no! I'm brilliant, blessed, the light, the air, the sound and the thunder, not to mention!

[ Dramatic pause, shift left hard, and opening the door to the music store for them - ]

Getting the door for you.

[gunslingerqueen]

[What is art supposed to do in regards to puberty??? Not that it really counts, she ends up grinning anyway, edging into Mikado's lean in order to kiss his cheek.] At least I'm not the only confused one.

[But for all of his confusion and dramatics Masaomi really did parlay that into a smooth move and she looks way more impressed than she means to allow!]

Ah, look at that, you made it work for you!

[..... Actually it was really cool ... Still, Nariko steps inside and immediately lights up, eyes wide and lips parted. It's a pretty big store with well organized sections.] Oh man. [It's all so beautiful!! She immediately zips to the back of the store, towards the six string, acoustic guitars.]

[generalflirt]

Oh wow, it's bigger on the inside.

[ Mikado looks around with some sense of awe, stepping into the shop after Nariko. He blushed a bit at the kiss, but that made him feel pretty good, pretty vindicated. Masaomi too snorts and shuts the door after them both, stepping up to follow her back towards the guitar ]

Of course! I am that sort of man.

[ Both boys, actually, get in step. Though Mikado's eyes linger at a keyboard over yonder up for display ]

[gunslingerqueen]

[Nariko doesn't see anything but those instruments, no offense to either of them and whatever level of attraction swells and falls between the trio. She makes it to her goal and reaches up to touch one - a gorgeous CEO-7.]

It looks exactly like Sally!

[Geez, how long has it been since she's even thought about that thing?] That's actually kind of impressive, you don't find these things in just any store ...

[But this is a three thousand dollar instrument she's vaguely touching, which is probably why the store associate is glaring at her a little. Nariko moves off to the side and tilts her head back a little as if that might get rid of her dumb tears. It sort of works.]

Oh, this one is pink! Oh, but the black one is cool, too!

[Why can't she have them all ...]

[generalflirt]

[ Sally???

But all the same, Masaomi slides up next to her. And he'll go and watch everything she's touching, looking at... ]

Well, there is a local band scene, could be they get it here.

[ But Mikado isn't there to respond, instead looking over a keyboard over here. Still, both boys are clearly out of their element. Oh well ]

[gunslingerqueen]

Oh, that makes more sense, then!

[She stops at one in particular, and turns over the price tag.] ... Shit.

[Yeah let's not look at that too hard. It'll only pain her. Three hundred dollars, ugh.]

Hey, no one's going to mind if I get a job or something, right? I'm not allowed to use the credit card unless it's an emergency.

[And this probably doesn't qualify.]

[generalflirt]

Technically it's against the school's rules, but I don't think anyone'll mind.

[ That said, he didn't have one. Nor did Mikado. Maybe he should though, he is getting older after all! But all the same, the credit card? So she has a cash line? Huh ]

[gunslingerqueen]

[She kind of expected that Ms. Yori or someone else might disapprove rather than the school, but that makes it even better that she asked.

And, well, it's Vergil's credit card, and while the limit on it is really very high, he's going to know the second she uses it. In the last few weeks before The Event that brought her to Masaomi's pack, it was mostly used for buying Nathan and herself food, clothes, anything else they might need in order to function correctly. The one time she used it to take them both to a movie he did that creepy, stern ghost voice and she still has nightmares about it.

But that blue guitar is fucking gorgeous and she wants it.]

Okay.

[... It's better to just earn the money, because if Nathan really did need something or whatever, she'd loathe not having it, and never forgive herself.]

Sorry, this is probably kind of boring for you. I just, y'know. It was all so sudden and I don't miss my mom or whatever but I do feel kind of homesick, maybe?

[She's babbling.]

[generalflirt]

... Maaah, you probably didn't get much of a chance to talk with Yori-san, but under it all she's really very nice. Kind, you could even say, much more than you'd expect of someone who commands a pack like this.

[ But that's his life, even if it's now something he shares with her. Masaomi puts one hand in his pocket, but the other now shoots out to go under her chin, to press his thumb on her check and roll his hand over it. He didn't give her that great of a gift - or well, won't, when they get to it - and he's not sure he's been that great of a host yet, what with everything operating at his pace. But he tries to sound sincere now. ]

A new life is scary, Nari. I'm pretty sure that's true of everyone, and everyone gets homesick. So I'll humor and be there for everything short of a plane ticket.

[gunslingerqueen]

[She hopes that Ms. Yori really is nice, though Nariko isn't sure she would know how to handle a possible, pseudo-mother-ish type of figure. Right now she can only trust Masaomi's estimation of her, time has to do the rest. But it's relatively safe to say that she hadn't expected any of that, not the way he holds her face, nor the expression that he wears or how thoroughly his words get under her skin.

There's a natural moment where she looks both starstruck and gently confused. He's - why is he so --]

Th-Thank you.

[That doesn't feel like enough. Her eyes dart to the floor between them up and then back up to him, and she seems to work up the bravery to kiss him full on.] ... I guess you're not so bad.

[It's completely irritating that she has a valid, incredibly solid crush on this boy.]

[generalflirt]

[ Score. But at the same time, he had a role to play here, and when he sees her reacting like that, he smiles, accepts the kiss, and then slides back away from her, dropping his hand to his side, and taking a step to the left, revealing that Mikado had finally caught up with them from behind, and was blushing in such a way as to hope he didn't step in a moment between them or something.

But Masaomi, ]

Eeeh, eeh, of course not! I'm pretty much perfect, right?!

[gunslingerqueen]

[Geez, so much for that.]

Coming back to reality ...

[For both of them, because she wandered into some other weird dimension that she hadn't meant to visit!]

Mikado, what were you looking at before?

[generalflirt]

[ He's got no reason to get way ahead of Mikado. Not now, not yet. ]

O-oh. Nothing really, just... something neat there. Not-too neat?! Or anything...

[ and Masaomi snickers at that. Hahaha... ]

[gunslingerqueen]

Right, but you were looking at it for a while.

[So, basically, she doesn't believe him for a second! But she has to go back that way to get to the books. It's mostly composition and sheet music sets and all that. There's one for Miles Davis that Nathan will probably enjoy, so she picks it up. They're also pretty near the area he was so infatuated with ...]

Hey, what do you guys want to be when you grow up?

[generalflirt]

Well I was just... I mean, checking out these keyboards over here. Not like I could even read sheet music?

[ But then, not even a lot of the local bands probably can unless they were classically trained. That said, Mikado squirms under the light of the moment here, Masaomi snickering behind them. Still, what they want to be when they grow up? Masaomi rolls the question over in his head before he nods and, ]

Probably a pimp, right?

Masaomi.

Okay, okay! No idea!

[ Mikado sighs, and... ] I'd like to do something in programming...

[gunslingerqueen]

It's easy to learn to play without sheet music, especially if you have a good memory.

[She opens the book to look over the complexity of the pieces.]

And to be fair he'd probably make a really good pimp, and it's important to do what you love.

[At least, someone told her that once.]

[generalflirt]

You want to be one of the ones working under me, NariNari?

[ He manages to say that with a smirk, even as Mikado elbows him in the stomach.

Rude. ]

[gunslingerqueen]

No.

[It ... Wasn't even difficult to answer. She's definitely getting Nathan this book, though.]

[generalflirt]

Isn't that denial too quick?!

[ SHUT UP OH MY GOD Mikado now makes to literally cover the other boy's mouth, pulling him back away from Nariko ]

[gunslingerqueen]

Nope.

[She closes the book.] Why would I want to be with that kind of man? That's not how I want to be treated when I'm an adult.

[Right now all this recklessness, refusing to become attached to anyone? That's fine. She's young and none of it matters, it's not supposed to! But even six years from now has to be completely different.]

[generalflirt]

[ Interesting qualifier.

But Masaomi while he notes that can't respond while Mkado is forcing his hands over his mouth. The boy in the glasses is struggling to hold him and probably making a little more of a scene than they might've made if Masaomi was talking, but.. You know ]

I-- I don't think most people would. He was just being silly...

[gunslingerqueen]

[Probably! But it just makes them funnier, so much that she lightens up the way she needs to. It's like it's impossible to be too upset around either of them!]

You never know, Mikado, awful perverts start young, good perverts take longer to find!

[What an incredibly weird statement.]

[generalflirt]

[ That is an incredibly weird statement, and as he tries to parse through it, his hands go slack enough on Masaomi's mouth that the other boy can yank his arms down and make him trip up. But Masaomi doesn't roar in triumph or anything, just ask Nariko, a bit confused- ]

What?

[ Mikado then pulls his arms in to squeeze Masaomi around the stomach ]