The Causeway, Friday Afternoon
Yurika looked at the glowing portal skeptically, tapping her fingers against her leg as she regarded it. "Ano, are you sure about this?" she asked, glancing over at her companion. "You don't have to come, you know. Everything's going to be fine."
Romeo "And have you face your father on your own, not to mention the rest of it?" Romeo rejoined, though his glance at the portal was slightly anxious. "You would not let me go to Verona alone; I cannot let you go to Tokyo alone."
"And if it is all fine," he added, a ghost of a smile touching his face, "you'll get to show me your home."
Dōjima "I'll show you it regardless," she murmured, reaching out to slip her hand into his for a moment. "They can't hold me captive all weekend, right?"
"I can deal with my father," Yurika said firmly. "You, however, are going to be nice. I didn't slap your father - " No matter how much he, or anyone else in Verona deserved it. "- you can be nice to mine."
Romeo She had a point, he realized, as he squeezed her hand.
"You didn't slap him," Romeo agreed quietly, looking at his shoes. "I do have manners, you know. I will use them unless it's time for me to stop doing so." Which was a time he assumed they would both recognize. "Perhaps we will become great friends."
He doubted it.
Dōjima "I know you have manners," she answered, returning the squeeze. "You also have a protective streak a mile wide, koibito, and sometimes your chivalry overwhelms your sense."
Which was the nicest way she could think of to say that his temper had a short fuse sometimes.
Romeo He could not actually argue with that, though he appreciated the diplomatic phrasing.
"So you are saying to think about six times before I act, and to follow your lead as much as I can," Romeo said, and glanced at her. "You were wonderful for me when I went home. I'll try to be half as good for you."
Dōjima "Make it seven, and we have a deal," she teased, lifting her face for a kiss. "Look on the bright side; you being there at all is going to annoy him to no end. It's going to be absolutely scandalous that I've hooked up with an American boy, even one of such good breeding as yourself."
Romeo He kissed her back before answering, and looked considerably brighter when they parted. "Eight," he promised, bopping her nose with a finger. "I'll be shocking -- eat with a fork, speak Japanese badly, all of that."
He wouldn't. Probably.
Dōjima He wouldn't. Probably. That didn't mean she was going to complain if he did.
"Incorrigible," she giggled, eyes crossing as he touched her nose. "Completely incorrigible. You're deliberately going to say something vulgar at the worst possible moment, aren't you?"
Romeo Romeo tried to look innocent. "Why would you think that?" he said. "Best behavior. I promise."
She should just ignore the time he had spent on websites of Japanese slang in the days before, really. He most likely wouldn't find an excuse to call her father an asshole in perfectly-pronounced Japanese, but it couldn't hurt to know what kono yaro meant.
Dōjima "I didn't ask for your best behavior," she reminded him sweetly. "That wouldn't be any fun at all. You just have to be nice, there's a difference."
"Besides, I'm taking you to Tokyo. There's a million parties waiting for us, and 'best behavior' isn't on the to-do list."
Romeo Romeo flashed a grin. "Not best behavior for the nightlife; that would make me look a dullard, and I intend to enjoy this," he conceded. "But for your parents and anyone else who truly matters, I will be nice, and mannerly, and not make them think I am such a vulgar influence they want to move you to another school to avoid me." He had something rather precious on the line here, after all, despite all his joking.
Dōjima The portal flashed at them, almost impatiently, and Yurika gave it a glare. "Just a few hours of boredom," she promised, "we don't even have to take meals with my parents, beyond dinner tonight. Then you can enjoy the rest of the trip."
Romeo Romeo nodded warily, glancing at the portal. "It'll be fine, whatever happens," he promised, trying to convince himself as well. "It looks as though our chariot aims to depart. Shall we go?"
Dōjima "No?" she asked hopefully, trying for an air of innocence.
Unfortunately, Dōjima had never been very good at being sweet or innocent.
"Last chance to stay home and not get growled at by my father, aijin," she said, forcing a smile. "I'm serious, you don't have to come."
Romeo "Last chance to stay here and be taken by ghosts," Romeo shuddered. "Your father frightens me less than what we are facing on Fandom, my sweet. I will go."
Dōjima "When you put it that way," she said dryly, shaking her head. "You've got to come with me then, since you've already filled your quota of 'Fandom Strange' for the next semester."
No, she knew it didn't work like that, but a girl could hope.
Grinning, she grabbed her bag and started heading towards the portal, tugging on his arm. "Come on. If we've timed it right, we'll have a chance to grab a drink before running the gauntlet. Have you ever tried sake?"
Romeo "And I wouldn't even touch anything this time," Romeo said. He agreed he was at or past his quota of strange for the moment. Especially with his fear the ghosts would start looking like people, and he knew too many dead people to be comfortable with that notion.
He let himself be tugged. "Not good sake, but I think that would be an excellent introduction to Japan.
Dōjima "Never had good sake?" Dōjima shook her head sadly. "That, we'll have to fix. How about beer from a vending machine?"
She was babbling and knew it, but she hated portals, she really did. It was still too unnatural to her. Taking a deep breath, Yurika firmed her resolve and stepped through, vanishing into the swirling light.
Romeo Romeo wasn't exactly a fan of them either. He shook his head in the negative, then ducked his head, following her into the swirling light.
Fandom Island The portal lingered for a mere moment longer before snapping shut in a loud crack of energy, almost as if it was eager to be gone, leaving nothing but the empty Causeway behind them.
[OOC: Preplayed with the ever-fantastic
fair_montague, coding hand-holding instruction by
the_merriest (who is pie!). Establishy & NFI, as they're off to Japan for the weekend. See ya'll on Monday!]