in the midst of the crowd

[fffffacepalm]

Who: fffffacepalm and deadlydebutante
What: Low-key move-in day
When: December 20th.
Where: Community housing building 6, floor 5.
Summary: Kyon finally gives up and moves into an apartment. Mai happens to be living on the same floor. Hijinks.
Rating: probably nothing to worry about!

Comments

[deadlydebutante]

Mai had been silently watching the newcomer pass through the hallway from the opposite side of her bedroom. She had kept her door cracked open to let the air circulate through, and instead left it that way for a bit. People watching--person-watching, more like--was more interesting than staring at a wall.

Besides, she couldn't really get away with throwing knives in her room, anyway, since it technically wasn't hers. Grumble.

The young man looked vaguely familiar--he was the one making the pithy comments on her arrival, wasn't he? All the more reason to just sit back and let him suffer the move himself. He was about as helpful as a toothpick back then.

He sure was relentless, though. He didn't stop once to rest until (presumably) all of his belongings were up the stairs. Hearing the labored breathing down the hallway, Mai took this as her cue to get up and scope out the fellow who would be ruining her blissful floor of sweet solitude.

[fffffacepalm]

Was it really worth the bother? Wasn't it kind of giving up to start decorating? It's not like people need decorations to survive. On the other hand, it's not as if living in a drab prison cell is going to teach anyone but the occupant a lesson. Prison cells... what if they all went on a hunger strike? The Malnosso would probably ignore that, wouldn't they. Or perhaps not. Whatever.

Kyon's thoughts occupied him to the extent that he didn't notice the girl approaching him -- hadn't, in fact, noticed her presence before, when he'd moved stuff up, either; he rather thought this floor was empty, for reason.

[deadlydebutante]

Mai stopped at this doorway, watching him blankly as he shuffled through his belongings. He looked unassuming, which was a plus--hopefully meant he was unpopular. Mai would prefer the floor to be as void of visitors as possible.

Or at least, if they were there, she didn't want to know it. He looked quiet enough.

Mai's eyes surveyed his belongings. They looked plain, boring. Good. It would have been unfortunate if something exciting came along to cut into her complaining.

"You have a lot of stuff." Mai observed dryly.

[fffffacepalm]

Kyon jumped back in surprise at hearing the sound of her voice. Wait, that was a mildly familiar voice, wasn't it?!

He backed up against the wall, before looking at her and realizing she wasn't doing anything. Damn it, why did he always look like an idiot at moments like this?

...Sigh. Naturally.

"Not that much," he said, finally, gesturing. "Thought there wasn't anyone else here."

[deadlydebutante]

"So did I." Was the disappointment apparent in her voice? Oops. Guess she had a monotone fail.

Don't worry too much about it, Kyon. Mai thinks everyone is an idiot, you don't have to be doing anything to convince her one way or the other.

[fffffacepalm]

Well, always glad to have someone so friendly around.

Kyon resumed a more normal position before continuing on. "Right," he said. "Don't suppose there's anyone else hiding out in those other rooms?"

[deadlydebutante]

"There is now." Mai curtly replied, picking at a fingernail. "Or if there is, they've been highly successful avoiding me."

Can't say the same of you, stranger. "Did you just get here--what do they call them, 'new feathers' or something?"

[fffffacepalm]

Kyon raised an eyebrow. "Not exactly. At least, I thought I spoke to you on the journal when you came in," he said. "Or was that someone else who woke up rolling in the grass?"

He didn't mean it as particularly caustic, but maybe it came out that way.

[deadlydebutante]

Twitch. "I wasn't rolling." Didn't like the sarcasm when used on you, huh Mai?

[fffffacepalm]

A slight smile crossed his face at that expression. So she's not exactly invulnerable herself.

"Looked like it, anyway," he said, with a shrug.

[deadlydebutante]

"It was the angle of the view." Mai snipped back without hesitation. She wasn't rolling. How undignified.

[fffffacepalm]

"Whatever it was," Kyon said, his tone clearly resigned. "Regardless, that's you. I don't think I got your name then, though."

If she's going to be a neighbor, it might be worth figuring out. Or, maybe, they could just avoid each other forever. Not like people normally had to see a lot of their neighbors, right? Not in a suburban life, anyway.

[deadlydebutante]

"That's because I didn't say it." Nor did he ask for it, so it's not like it was her fault.

Sorry, Kyon. You've got a difficult neighbor. You sure you don't want to go back to Haruhi?

[fffffacepalm]

Surprise, surprise. Kyon shrugged. If she doesn't want to say it, it's her business, anyway.

"My mistake," he said dryly. "Feel free to keep silent if you want, then." He purposefully went over to one of the boxes of his few possessions.

[deadlydebutante]

Mai flat-stared at the boy. While she expected that if she were to run into someone similar to her, she'd find him well-met and appreciate his respective reclusive behavior, there was something that stuck her as strange. Or was it rude?

Either way, while she knew she should just turn right back around and go back to her room, there was something--was it spite?--that kept her there.

"It's Mai."

[fffffacepalm]

Kyon nodded at the name. "Well, conversation with you has been a pleasure so far, Mai," he said. Normally, he'd probably be more polite to a girl, but given her own taciturnity and his not-particularly-carefree mood, he couldn't bring his usual sense of propriety to bear.

[OOC: Do you want to move this to DW?]