Log: Oshitari Kenya, Ibu Shinji
Who: Oshitari Kenya and Ibu Shinji
Where: Dawn 306
When: Thursday, April 16th
What: Talking and messing around with their instruments. (Guitars, you pervs!)
Warnings: Guitar talk. Randomness. Guitar fetishism?
Rating: PG
Comments: Even after they got all weird, we kept this normal. We deserve a prize.
Shinji sat cross-legged on his bed, fiddling with his guitar. The move, plus his recent neglect of it, hadn’t done the instrument any favors, and all he was concerned about at the moment was getting it back in tune. “Stupid,” he muttered to himself. “You know better than to go so long…there!” He smiled faintly as the G string finally came into tune. Shinji hummed in satisfaction, picking out a simple tune as a final check.
A banging on the door made Shinji raise his head. “Just in time, too…it’s open!” he called out loud enough for Kenya-at least, he assumed it was Kenya-to hear. “Come in.”
"You really ought to see who's at the door, before saying that." Kenya told Shinji the moment he walked into the room, the memory of a recent encounter with a few vampires coming to mind. "Could be anyone, you know. And were you just tuning your guitar?" He had been outside the door long enough to catch the repeating note that seeped through the door.
"I keep mine tuned to drop D, what about you?" the bleach blonde went from lecturing to talking shop in seconds, his gaze drawn to the acoustic cradled on Shinji's legs. "Though, I never tried tuning my acoustic to drop D. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't sound good in anything but E."
Shinji blinked. “Is that a big concern, that people will knock before they come in and kill you? I always assumed that if someone wanted to really hurt you, they wouldn’t bother observing all the societal niceties, like knocking and all.” He shook his head. “Yeah, I was tuning it. I thought I’d have to replace a string, but it was just really slack. Never neglect your baby for anything.”
He started picking out another short tune, humming thoughtfully. “I’ve never even tried to tune to drop D. Not with the nylon strings, anyway. I usually keep mine tuned to open G or open C. “
"Could be someone you'd rather not see or deal with, though." Kenya slid the strap of his guitar's nylon case off his shoulder, quick to bring the instrument around to his front where hands could secure it. "Never used nylon strings myself." He admitted as he stepped further into the room, looking for a place to deposit his amp and the closest electric socket.
“Considering that that the grand total of people I know here is at one, I’m not sure that’s going to be a problem right now.” Shinji pointed over to his desk. “There’s open spaces on my power strip there. And, frankly? I’m rather new to the nylon, myself. I wasn’t sure about it, but it seems to be working so far, and I have steel strings in case I decide to go back.” He eyed the amp and case. “So, that’s one of your ladies?”
“You need to get out more, though I guess to be fair you really haven't been here all that long." Kenya answered as he set about setting up the amp. Once he had the tiny black box (boy, how he wished he could have brought his larger amp from home!) set up, he cast Shinji a grin. Lips curled upward and eyes danced with a brilliant light, his adoration for the guitar apparent. "That's The Lady, yeah." Not like his guitars were real or had personalities, but if they did the Razorback would definitely be the diva of his bunch.
Soon, he plopped down on the floor drawing the black bag toward him to set it reverently on the floor in front of him. "Though, mom says if it's a girl then she's one disturbed female considering the artwork." The dark design really was more macho than anything else, but what did he care if anyone wanted to nitpick with him over the dark, near gothic theme that encased the facing of the guitar he unveiled.
“I’m not really good at getting out and meeting people, anyway.” Shinji shrugged, not seeming too concerned over it. “I’ve been a little busy getting into classes. I’m sure I’ll start running into people sooner or later, so I’m not going to obsess over it right now.”
Shinji whistled softly, impressed with the guitar in a way that he never was with people. “Normal is overrated anyway,” he commented, letting his eyes take in every detail of the instrument that Kenya was currently caressing. “Disturbed or not, she’s gorgeous, and I can understand you not wanting anyone to touch her, now.” He chuckled. “Is she as high maintenance as she looks?”
"Not nearly as high maintenance as a real girl." Kenya countered with a laugh and a grin. He slipped the plug that ran from amp to guitar into its slot, settling the instrument into place a second later. Fingers ran along the neck, tips falling into place for each note he picked through testing the sound as he spoke.
"Took me forever to save enough for her, though." He grimaced, remembering how his mother had choked over the price tag and promptly told him if he wanted something that expensive he'd better start working and saving for it.
“Living with two of them, I think I agree with you there,” Shinji commented dryly, watching Kenya closely. “Very little is as high maintenance as a real girl, but I’m sure that some guys are just as fussy in the end, so maybe it’s just people in general that are high maintenance.”
He sighed, letting his fingers trace the wood grain swirling the face of his guitar. “If she’s quality, she’s worth the price. My baby was pretty pricy, but the tone I get is more than worth the fact that I’m almost constantly broke now.” Shinji looked up at Kenya, flashing him a small, brief smile. “Are the two of you going to be showing off?”
"Maybe, but I can't see how." He was starting to like this guy, Kenya thought as his grin broadened into a smile.
"You bet!" he said with a laugh, fingers flying over the frets and strings, the beginning of Back in Black resounding on the air. Where was the fun in playing, if he couldn't show off every now and again, right?
"So did you decide to come here, or did your parents choose it for you?" There was also nothing wrong with asking questions while he played, especially if it told him a little more about the guy who was going to help him plot ways to annoy his new roommate.
Shinji twitched his shoulders in a bare approximation of a shrug. “My last school had a guy that couldn’t shower after gym without his shampoo, conditioner, deep treatment hair mask, mousse, gel, and blow dryer.” He paused. “I think he even had a curling iron once. So I can see how. It’s too much effort for me.” He fingered a strand of his hair. “I think I prefer the natural look, myself.”
He folded his arms over his guitar, content to just listen to Kenya play for the moment. “I think it was a combination of both,” he said slowly. “I…wanted to get away from home, and my father heard about this school…somewhere. I’m not sure where, but everything came together at the right time, and here I am.” He closed his eyes, tapping a hand against the body of his guitar in synch with Kenya’s beat. How about you? Why are you here?”
Kenya tilted his head, watching the way that hand tapped against the guitar pacing its rhythm with his. "Combo of mom and dad wanting me to come, plus my desire to get free of the house rules," he said with a small laugh.
"Much easier to break the rules of total strangers than my parents'," Well, it made for less slaps upside his head with his mother's bedroom slipper that was for sure and that was all Kenya cared about. Not that his mom every hit him hard, because she didn't. It was always a boy, what am I going to do with you sort of tap than anything else but, still, each time his mother resorted to the technique he knew he had disappointed her and couldn't help but feel guilty for it.
"So, about that plotting we're supposed to do; any suggestions?"
“Yeah, but usually, your parents won’t kick you out of the house for breaking the rules,” Shinji pointed out. “At least, not most parents I know. Not even mine when I went on my piercing binge, and I know they disapproved of that. Here, you break enough rules, and you can be gone. So I guess it’s a fine line.”
Shinji leaned forward some, studying Kenya. “Depends on what will piss him off,” he said. “You’ve been living with him for a few days now; surely you some idea of what his pet peeves are.” He smirked. “Once we have some options to work on, plotting will become much simpler.”
"The fuck if I know," Kenya finally admitted, his cheeks puffing out with his annoyance and agitation. "Can't read the jerk, since he always looks bored as hell or like he's lost in his own little world,"
He friggen hated that, too. It seriously rubbed his temper raw when Zaizen tuned him out and went vacant like he was not there, even though he was.
"Though, the night I moved in he did say if any of my stuff trespassed onto his side of the room he'd throw it out."
Shinji thought about that, biting his lip as his fingers moved to strum his guitar, thinking it might help him some. “Well, I’m going to assume that you don’t actually want any of your stuff thrown out. Unless you have things you’ve been meaning to get rid of, but haven’t gotten around to yet. Then I say start leaving them around his side like…like an opening salvo of some sort.”
He paused. “If he’s always in his own head, then maybe…you need to start getting him out of it. Like…mess with his stuff. Small things, like just rearranging a couple items, leaving things a bit off center. Not enough to really make it clear you’re messing with him, but enough to throw him off-balance.” Shinji shrugged. “In any case, it may be fun to see him questioning his own sanity.”
The idea that started forming in Kenya's head thanks to Shinji's ramblings sounded a lot more appealing than hazarding the safety of his belongings. "Heh, you might be onto something there." He replied with a wicked grin growing as his fingers moved deftly over the strings of his guitar, his eyes bright with mischief.
Zaizen seemed to be sort of a neat freak with how he had ordered him not to infringe on his side of the room with his stuff, so how annoyed would he be if he started finding his CDs out of order or his clothes switched from one way to another opposite how he stored them?
“That is why you came down here, right? To pick my evil brains? Well, that and to fool around with guitars and show them off and all.” Shinji tilted his head, listening to what Kenya was playing, tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, and started pick out a tune on his own instrument, looking for the point where electric and acoustic could play in harmony. “I have to say, looking at yours is making me want to try out electric again, but don’t worry, I’m not going to sully your lady over there.”
“Besides, evil is best served gradually. Start out over the top and he knows just who to blame, which wouldn’t really work so well for you. Have him doubting his own sanity, and then he just becomes a tool to be manipulated.”
Kenya perked a brow, his fingers stilling in their strumming while others rested lightly against the fret board. "You really want an up close and personal look at her, don't you?" he asked with a smug smirk, so sure of his assumption being right.
"And I think I'll start with rearranging on or two of his CDs, before misplacing his ipod in his sock drawer." Yeah, that could work. Zaizen seemed like he was attached to that damn thing along with his laptop.
Shinji flushed a little, looking down even as his fingers kept picking out a wandering tune. “Can I help that?” he asked. “She’s a beauty, I can tell that from here, even, so an even closer look would be even better, but I do understand how people can get possessive about their instruments.”
He looked back over at Kenya. “You’re going to try your best to drive him around the bend, aren’t you?” He paused. “Why does this guy piss you off so much, anyway?”
Kenya tilted his head silently contemplating the guy just feet away from him on the bed. "You can, if you want." He finally offered hesitantly, only to point out, "Though, if you scratch her or break anything I'm going to break your fingers."
"And I don't know. He just does." He didn't need a reason to dislike someone, damn it!
“Like I’d do that.” Shinji rolled his eyes. “If I were into wanton destruction, I don’t think my own guitar would look as good as it does, but even if you say that’s because it’s mine, I do have a bit more respect than that.” He set his acoustic aside carefully, slid off his bed and approached Kenya. Being careful not to actually touch, he looked the electric guitar over from top to bottom, whistling in appreciation. “Even I can see that’s one finely put together girl you have,” he said, the admiration clear in his voice.
"Idiot," Kenya huffed, reaching out to grab Shinji's wrist as he held the guitar up in offering. "You can't really see a guitar or any other instrument, until you actually play it."
“I can see that it doesn’t have any visual flaws, though, and that tells me something about the tone…plus I heard you play it already.” Shinji looked at the hand on his wrist but didn’t comment on it, simply taking the guitar from Kenya carefully, cradling it with the same care he’d give to his own. He fingered the strings experimentally. “I always forget that it takes less pressure to play these,” Shinji said, absently, already playing a riff just to get a feel for it again.
"Isn't the same as playing it yourself," Kenya pointed out as his hand fell away. Shifting slightly, he slid both hands behind his back to press palms flat to the floor while he sat there listening to the other boy play.
"And I always make sure to play my acoustic, even if I like my electric better, otherwise I lose the feel for how much pressure to use and my fingers start losing their calluses." He shuddered, remembering how sore his fingertips had been back in the beginning. No, he didn't want a repeat of those days.
“Nothing is,” Shinji agreed. He played a few scales, figuring out how Kenya had the instrument tuned, then started in on a Metallica song he had all but memorized back when he was first learning electric guitar. “And I stand by my first opinion. You clearly keep her in good shape, and the tone is excellent.” He looked over at the amp. “And I’m actually shocked that such a tiny amp has such good sound quality.”
He nodded. “That’s one thing I never have to fear losing,” he commented. “You’d think that nylon strings would be gentler than steel ones, but no. You still need to use the same pressure in the end.”
"I wouldn't know." Kenya retorted. Personally, he liked his steel lightweight strings on both his guitars and didn't plan to switch to anything else; unless he thought the sound quality differed and was needed for a particular song.
"Man, you wouldn't believe how many amps I went through to find that one. It's fucking hard to find a small one that gives that sort of quality sound." He was still annoyed that he had to make a sacrifice in order to bring his guitar to school as he didn't think the administers would approve of the much larger amp that he'd spent a small fortune on. Now that one could probably break windows if cranked high enough, which was why he had left it at home, or else Zaizen might have already become personally acquainted with how high the volume could go already.
“I’d believe it. Smaller is rarely better, especially when it comes to things like acoustics.” Shinji nodded, letting the song come to an end, and carefully handing the guitar back to Kenya. “I better give her back now before I fall in love,” he said, the small smile on his face letting Kenya know that he was joking.
"If you fell that fast, I'd say you were easy." Kenya joked back, his hands rising to retrieve the guitar as it was handed over. Shinji was probably the most likable guy he'd run across at the school so far. At least he wasn't a creepy jerk like Kuranosuke's boyfriend, so that earned him points in the blonde's book.
Shinji chuckled softly. “Easy is the last thing someone would accuse me of being. Overly picky is more like it.” He still remembered how it had taken him to find an acoustic he could properly bond with. “So there’ll be no seduction or kidnapping attempts in the middle of the night, not from me, anyway.” He settled back on his bed, feeling a lot more relaxed around Kenya than he had before. The guy was decent, and he loved guitars, so there was no reason to not relax some.
He picked his acoustic back up and looked at Kenya. “Do you want to see how the nylons are?” he asked. It was only fair, after all.
"That's what you say now, but that doesn't guarantee that you won't." Kenya retorted, his jaded outlook on things in general plain to hear in his tone of voice if his words weren't enough to give it away.
He eyed the acoustic Shinji held for the briefest of moments before shaking his head. "Thanks, but na… I do want to hunt down something to eat though, so you game?"
Shinji shook his head. “If I crawl in your window, it won’t be for your guitar. More than likely, it’ll be to exact some sort of revenge or mischief, and I’m not that cruel as to mess with your instruments.” Kenya’s bitterness just flowed over him. Everyone had their demons, and Shinji certainly wasn’t going to press.
“Food? I’m usually game.” Not that anyone would know it, considering how slim Shinji was, but he did have an appetite. “Let me just put my baby away first. Want to leave yours here for safekeeping? I don’t have a roommate so no one will come in.”
"Right," Kenya stated as he packed away his guitar, making sure to secure her in the bag that waited for its return. "So I'm to believe you won't come crawling through it to get your jollies like some creepy stalker person out to watch me while I shower or sleep in the nude?"
He was kidding, poking fun at the raven-haired young man he shot a teasing grin toward.
"Good, cos I'm starving. I didn't eat much at lunch."
Shinji rolled his eyes. “If you really sleep in the nude, I’m going to think you have feelings for your roommate other than annoyance,” he quipped, clearly not being serious about what he was saying. He did look Kenya up and down, though. “You should eat more, because you look kind of thin, and it’s not healthy to get too thin, you know, guys can be anorexic, too.”
Kenya stood once he had finished securing the bag his guitar was hidden away in. "Cheh, we're both guys. Not like I have anything he doesn't have." He wasn't going to verify whether he did or didn't for Shinji as he preferred to let the guy wonder.
"And I eat plenty. Eat like a pig if you listen to my mother, just forgot to finish an assignment last night and worked on it during lunch." He grumped out, squirming inwardly over the visual perusal by another guy. First there was Zaizen giving him the once over and now Shinji. What the fuck?
Shinji wisely didn’t say anything about the slight hint of red on Kenya’s cheeks. What was the big deal, anyway? “Yeah, but not everyone wants to have someone else’s nakedness thrown into their face unless they want something, and not everyone might want the same something that you want, or don’t want….” He paused and shook his head. “I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore.”
Opening his door, Shinji stepped aside to let Kenya leave first. “I’m good at the nutritional lectures. I’ve been getting them my entire life, so I tend to share them with everyone.”
"Well, if it annoys Z." Kenya chirped back, planting the idea in the back of his brain for later examination and possible use, if it became apparent his roommate might object to him running around naked in their shared room.
Kenya paused just outside the door to cast a skeptical look over Shinji. "You don't look malnourished to me."
“I never said that I was,” Shinji replied calmly, “though I’ve been accused of being anorexic before. It’s not fun. But my mother is a nurse who works for a nutritionist, so we’ve heard all the lectures growing up. Food groups, fruits and vegetables, vitamins and enzymes….” He shook his head. “I could probably do it in my sleep at this point.”
"Glad it's you and not me," Kenya said as he headed down the hall. He got enough lectures from his mother about the trouble he got into; he did not need her harping on him about being so thin she thought he was anorexic. She would never stop once she started and would forever be shoving food down his throat.
Then again- food. Lots and lots of food.
Maybe there was a silver lining to that, after all.
“I’m more than happy to share.” Shinji carefully locked his door, really not wanting anything to go missing that evening. “Really, I am. I’ll make sure to give you copies of the pamphlets she’ll send me. If you have a small caged animal, they’ll make good cage linings.”
He sighed, feeling himself relax completely. Music, food, and someone who he actually liked being around…maybe this place wouldn’t be too bad.
Where: Dawn 306
When: Thursday, April 16th
What: Talking and messing around with their instruments. (Guitars, you pervs!)
Warnings: Guitar talk. Randomness. Guitar fetishism?
Rating: PG
Comments: Even after they got all weird, we kept this normal. We deserve a prize.
Shinji sat cross-legged on his bed, fiddling with his guitar. The move, plus his recent neglect of it, hadn’t done the instrument any favors, and all he was concerned about at the moment was getting it back in tune. “Stupid,” he muttered to himself. “You know better than to go so long…there!” He smiled faintly as the G string finally came into tune. Shinji hummed in satisfaction, picking out a simple tune as a final check.
A banging on the door made Shinji raise his head. “Just in time, too…it’s open!” he called out loud enough for Kenya-at least, he assumed it was Kenya-to hear. “Come in.”
"You really ought to see who's at the door, before saying that." Kenya told Shinji the moment he walked into the room, the memory of a recent encounter with a few vampires coming to mind. "Could be anyone, you know. And were you just tuning your guitar?" He had been outside the door long enough to catch the repeating note that seeped through the door.
"I keep mine tuned to drop D, what about you?" the bleach blonde went from lecturing to talking shop in seconds, his gaze drawn to the acoustic cradled on Shinji's legs. "Though, I never tried tuning my acoustic to drop D. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't sound good in anything but E."
Shinji blinked. “Is that a big concern, that people will knock before they come in and kill you? I always assumed that if someone wanted to really hurt you, they wouldn’t bother observing all the societal niceties, like knocking and all.” He shook his head. “Yeah, I was tuning it. I thought I’d have to replace a string, but it was just really slack. Never neglect your baby for anything.”
He started picking out another short tune, humming thoughtfully. “I’ve never even tried to tune to drop D. Not with the nylon strings, anyway. I usually keep mine tuned to open G or open C. “
"Could be someone you'd rather not see or deal with, though." Kenya slid the strap of his guitar's nylon case off his shoulder, quick to bring the instrument around to his front where hands could secure it. "Never used nylon strings myself." He admitted as he stepped further into the room, looking for a place to deposit his amp and the closest electric socket.
“Considering that that the grand total of people I know here is at one, I’m not sure that’s going to be a problem right now.” Shinji pointed over to his desk. “There’s open spaces on my power strip there. And, frankly? I’m rather new to the nylon, myself. I wasn’t sure about it, but it seems to be working so far, and I have steel strings in case I decide to go back.” He eyed the amp and case. “So, that’s one of your ladies?”
“You need to get out more, though I guess to be fair you really haven't been here all that long." Kenya answered as he set about setting up the amp. Once he had the tiny black box (boy, how he wished he could have brought his larger amp from home!) set up, he cast Shinji a grin. Lips curled upward and eyes danced with a brilliant light, his adoration for the guitar apparent. "That's The Lady, yeah." Not like his guitars were real or had personalities, but if they did the Razorback would definitely be the diva of his bunch.
Soon, he plopped down on the floor drawing the black bag toward him to set it reverently on the floor in front of him. "Though, mom says if it's a girl then she's one disturbed female considering the artwork." The dark design really was more macho than anything else, but what did he care if anyone wanted to nitpick with him over the dark, near gothic theme that encased the facing of the guitar he unveiled.
“I’m not really good at getting out and meeting people, anyway.” Shinji shrugged, not seeming too concerned over it. “I’ve been a little busy getting into classes. I’m sure I’ll start running into people sooner or later, so I’m not going to obsess over it right now.”
Shinji whistled softly, impressed with the guitar in a way that he never was with people. “Normal is overrated anyway,” he commented, letting his eyes take in every detail of the instrument that Kenya was currently caressing. “Disturbed or not, she’s gorgeous, and I can understand you not wanting anyone to touch her, now.” He chuckled. “Is she as high maintenance as she looks?”
"Not nearly as high maintenance as a real girl." Kenya countered with a laugh and a grin. He slipped the plug that ran from amp to guitar into its slot, settling the instrument into place a second later. Fingers ran along the neck, tips falling into place for each note he picked through testing the sound as he spoke.
"Took me forever to save enough for her, though." He grimaced, remembering how his mother had choked over the price tag and promptly told him if he wanted something that expensive he'd better start working and saving for it.
“Living with two of them, I think I agree with you there,” Shinji commented dryly, watching Kenya closely. “Very little is as high maintenance as a real girl, but I’m sure that some guys are just as fussy in the end, so maybe it’s just people in general that are high maintenance.”
He sighed, letting his fingers trace the wood grain swirling the face of his guitar. “If she’s quality, she’s worth the price. My baby was pretty pricy, but the tone I get is more than worth the fact that I’m almost constantly broke now.” Shinji looked up at Kenya, flashing him a small, brief smile. “Are the two of you going to be showing off?”
"Maybe, but I can't see how." He was starting to like this guy, Kenya thought as his grin broadened into a smile.
"You bet!" he said with a laugh, fingers flying over the frets and strings, the beginning of Back in Black resounding on the air. Where was the fun in playing, if he couldn't show off every now and again, right?
"So did you decide to come here, or did your parents choose it for you?" There was also nothing wrong with asking questions while he played, especially if it told him a little more about the guy who was going to help him plot ways to annoy his new roommate.
Shinji twitched his shoulders in a bare approximation of a shrug. “My last school had a guy that couldn’t shower after gym without his shampoo, conditioner, deep treatment hair mask, mousse, gel, and blow dryer.” He paused. “I think he even had a curling iron once. So I can see how. It’s too much effort for me.” He fingered a strand of his hair. “I think I prefer the natural look, myself.”
He folded his arms over his guitar, content to just listen to Kenya play for the moment. “I think it was a combination of both,” he said slowly. “I…wanted to get away from home, and my father heard about this school…somewhere. I’m not sure where, but everything came together at the right time, and here I am.” He closed his eyes, tapping a hand against the body of his guitar in synch with Kenya’s beat. How about you? Why are you here?”
Kenya tilted his head, watching the way that hand tapped against the guitar pacing its rhythm with his. "Combo of mom and dad wanting me to come, plus my desire to get free of the house rules," he said with a small laugh.
"Much easier to break the rules of total strangers than my parents'," Well, it made for less slaps upside his head with his mother's bedroom slipper that was for sure and that was all Kenya cared about. Not that his mom every hit him hard, because she didn't. It was always a boy, what am I going to do with you sort of tap than anything else but, still, each time his mother resorted to the technique he knew he had disappointed her and couldn't help but feel guilty for it.
"So, about that plotting we're supposed to do; any suggestions?"
“Yeah, but usually, your parents won’t kick you out of the house for breaking the rules,” Shinji pointed out. “At least, not most parents I know. Not even mine when I went on my piercing binge, and I know they disapproved of that. Here, you break enough rules, and you can be gone. So I guess it’s a fine line.”
Shinji leaned forward some, studying Kenya. “Depends on what will piss him off,” he said. “You’ve been living with him for a few days now; surely you some idea of what his pet peeves are.” He smirked. “Once we have some options to work on, plotting will become much simpler.”
"The fuck if I know," Kenya finally admitted, his cheeks puffing out with his annoyance and agitation. "Can't read the jerk, since he always looks bored as hell or like he's lost in his own little world,"
He friggen hated that, too. It seriously rubbed his temper raw when Zaizen tuned him out and went vacant like he was not there, even though he was.
"Though, the night I moved in he did say if any of my stuff trespassed onto his side of the room he'd throw it out."
Shinji thought about that, biting his lip as his fingers moved to strum his guitar, thinking it might help him some. “Well, I’m going to assume that you don’t actually want any of your stuff thrown out. Unless you have things you’ve been meaning to get rid of, but haven’t gotten around to yet. Then I say start leaving them around his side like…like an opening salvo of some sort.”
He paused. “If he’s always in his own head, then maybe…you need to start getting him out of it. Like…mess with his stuff. Small things, like just rearranging a couple items, leaving things a bit off center. Not enough to really make it clear you’re messing with him, but enough to throw him off-balance.” Shinji shrugged. “In any case, it may be fun to see him questioning his own sanity.”
The idea that started forming in Kenya's head thanks to Shinji's ramblings sounded a lot more appealing than hazarding the safety of his belongings. "Heh, you might be onto something there." He replied with a wicked grin growing as his fingers moved deftly over the strings of his guitar, his eyes bright with mischief.
Zaizen seemed to be sort of a neat freak with how he had ordered him not to infringe on his side of the room with his stuff, so how annoyed would he be if he started finding his CDs out of order or his clothes switched from one way to another opposite how he stored them?
“That is why you came down here, right? To pick my evil brains? Well, that and to fool around with guitars and show them off and all.” Shinji tilted his head, listening to what Kenya was playing, tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, and started pick out a tune on his own instrument, looking for the point where electric and acoustic could play in harmony. “I have to say, looking at yours is making me want to try out electric again, but don’t worry, I’m not going to sully your lady over there.”
“Besides, evil is best served gradually. Start out over the top and he knows just who to blame, which wouldn’t really work so well for you. Have him doubting his own sanity, and then he just becomes a tool to be manipulated.”
Kenya perked a brow, his fingers stilling in their strumming while others rested lightly against the fret board. "You really want an up close and personal look at her, don't you?" he asked with a smug smirk, so sure of his assumption being right.
"And I think I'll start with rearranging on or two of his CDs, before misplacing his ipod in his sock drawer." Yeah, that could work. Zaizen seemed like he was attached to that damn thing along with his laptop.
Shinji flushed a little, looking down even as his fingers kept picking out a wandering tune. “Can I help that?” he asked. “She’s a beauty, I can tell that from here, even, so an even closer look would be even better, but I do understand how people can get possessive about their instruments.”
He looked back over at Kenya. “You’re going to try your best to drive him around the bend, aren’t you?” He paused. “Why does this guy piss you off so much, anyway?”
Kenya tilted his head silently contemplating the guy just feet away from him on the bed. "You can, if you want." He finally offered hesitantly, only to point out, "Though, if you scratch her or break anything I'm going to break your fingers."
"And I don't know. He just does." He didn't need a reason to dislike someone, damn it!
“Like I’d do that.” Shinji rolled his eyes. “If I were into wanton destruction, I don’t think my own guitar would look as good as it does, but even if you say that’s because it’s mine, I do have a bit more respect than that.” He set his acoustic aside carefully, slid off his bed and approached Kenya. Being careful not to actually touch, he looked the electric guitar over from top to bottom, whistling in appreciation. “Even I can see that’s one finely put together girl you have,” he said, the admiration clear in his voice.
"Idiot," Kenya huffed, reaching out to grab Shinji's wrist as he held the guitar up in offering. "You can't really see a guitar or any other instrument, until you actually play it."
“I can see that it doesn’t have any visual flaws, though, and that tells me something about the tone…plus I heard you play it already.” Shinji looked at the hand on his wrist but didn’t comment on it, simply taking the guitar from Kenya carefully, cradling it with the same care he’d give to his own. He fingered the strings experimentally. “I always forget that it takes less pressure to play these,” Shinji said, absently, already playing a riff just to get a feel for it again.
"Isn't the same as playing it yourself," Kenya pointed out as his hand fell away. Shifting slightly, he slid both hands behind his back to press palms flat to the floor while he sat there listening to the other boy play.
"And I always make sure to play my acoustic, even if I like my electric better, otherwise I lose the feel for how much pressure to use and my fingers start losing their calluses." He shuddered, remembering how sore his fingertips had been back in the beginning. No, he didn't want a repeat of those days.
“Nothing is,” Shinji agreed. He played a few scales, figuring out how Kenya had the instrument tuned, then started in on a Metallica song he had all but memorized back when he was first learning electric guitar. “And I stand by my first opinion. You clearly keep her in good shape, and the tone is excellent.” He looked over at the amp. “And I’m actually shocked that such a tiny amp has such good sound quality.”
He nodded. “That’s one thing I never have to fear losing,” he commented. “You’d think that nylon strings would be gentler than steel ones, but no. You still need to use the same pressure in the end.”
"I wouldn't know." Kenya retorted. Personally, he liked his steel lightweight strings on both his guitars and didn't plan to switch to anything else; unless he thought the sound quality differed and was needed for a particular song.
"Man, you wouldn't believe how many amps I went through to find that one. It's fucking hard to find a small one that gives that sort of quality sound." He was still annoyed that he had to make a sacrifice in order to bring his guitar to school as he didn't think the administers would approve of the much larger amp that he'd spent a small fortune on. Now that one could probably break windows if cranked high enough, which was why he had left it at home, or else Zaizen might have already become personally acquainted with how high the volume could go already.
“I’d believe it. Smaller is rarely better, especially when it comes to things like acoustics.” Shinji nodded, letting the song come to an end, and carefully handing the guitar back to Kenya. “I better give her back now before I fall in love,” he said, the small smile on his face letting Kenya know that he was joking.
"If you fell that fast, I'd say you were easy." Kenya joked back, his hands rising to retrieve the guitar as it was handed over. Shinji was probably the most likable guy he'd run across at the school so far. At least he wasn't a creepy jerk like Kuranosuke's boyfriend, so that earned him points in the blonde's book.
Shinji chuckled softly. “Easy is the last thing someone would accuse me of being. Overly picky is more like it.” He still remembered how it had taken him to find an acoustic he could properly bond with. “So there’ll be no seduction or kidnapping attempts in the middle of the night, not from me, anyway.” He settled back on his bed, feeling a lot more relaxed around Kenya than he had before. The guy was decent, and he loved guitars, so there was no reason to not relax some.
He picked his acoustic back up and looked at Kenya. “Do you want to see how the nylons are?” he asked. It was only fair, after all.
"That's what you say now, but that doesn't guarantee that you won't." Kenya retorted, his jaded outlook on things in general plain to hear in his tone of voice if his words weren't enough to give it away.
He eyed the acoustic Shinji held for the briefest of moments before shaking his head. "Thanks, but na… I do want to hunt down something to eat though, so you game?"
Shinji shook his head. “If I crawl in your window, it won’t be for your guitar. More than likely, it’ll be to exact some sort of revenge or mischief, and I’m not that cruel as to mess with your instruments.” Kenya’s bitterness just flowed over him. Everyone had their demons, and Shinji certainly wasn’t going to press.
“Food? I’m usually game.” Not that anyone would know it, considering how slim Shinji was, but he did have an appetite. “Let me just put my baby away first. Want to leave yours here for safekeeping? I don’t have a roommate so no one will come in.”
"Right," Kenya stated as he packed away his guitar, making sure to secure her in the bag that waited for its return. "So I'm to believe you won't come crawling through it to get your jollies like some creepy stalker person out to watch me while I shower or sleep in the nude?"
He was kidding, poking fun at the raven-haired young man he shot a teasing grin toward.
"Good, cos I'm starving. I didn't eat much at lunch."
Shinji rolled his eyes. “If you really sleep in the nude, I’m going to think you have feelings for your roommate other than annoyance,” he quipped, clearly not being serious about what he was saying. He did look Kenya up and down, though. “You should eat more, because you look kind of thin, and it’s not healthy to get too thin, you know, guys can be anorexic, too.”
Kenya stood once he had finished securing the bag his guitar was hidden away in. "Cheh, we're both guys. Not like I have anything he doesn't have." He wasn't going to verify whether he did or didn't for Shinji as he preferred to let the guy wonder.
"And I eat plenty. Eat like a pig if you listen to my mother, just forgot to finish an assignment last night and worked on it during lunch." He grumped out, squirming inwardly over the visual perusal by another guy. First there was Zaizen giving him the once over and now Shinji. What the fuck?
Shinji wisely didn’t say anything about the slight hint of red on Kenya’s cheeks. What was the big deal, anyway? “Yeah, but not everyone wants to have someone else’s nakedness thrown into their face unless they want something, and not everyone might want the same something that you want, or don’t want….” He paused and shook his head. “I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore.”
Opening his door, Shinji stepped aside to let Kenya leave first. “I’m good at the nutritional lectures. I’ve been getting them my entire life, so I tend to share them with everyone.”
"Well, if it annoys Z." Kenya chirped back, planting the idea in the back of his brain for later examination and possible use, if it became apparent his roommate might object to him running around naked in their shared room.
Kenya paused just outside the door to cast a skeptical look over Shinji. "You don't look malnourished to me."
“I never said that I was,” Shinji replied calmly, “though I’ve been accused of being anorexic before. It’s not fun. But my mother is a nurse who works for a nutritionist, so we’ve heard all the lectures growing up. Food groups, fruits and vegetables, vitamins and enzymes….” He shook his head. “I could probably do it in my sleep at this point.”
"Glad it's you and not me," Kenya said as he headed down the hall. He got enough lectures from his mother about the trouble he got into; he did not need her harping on him about being so thin she thought he was anorexic. She would never stop once she started and would forever be shoving food down his throat.
Then again- food. Lots and lots of food.
Maybe there was a silver lining to that, after all.
“I’m more than happy to share.” Shinji carefully locked his door, really not wanting anything to go missing that evening. “Really, I am. I’ll make sure to give you copies of the pamphlets she’ll send me. If you have a small caged animal, they’ll make good cage linings.”
He sighed, feeling himself relax completely. Music, food, and someone who he actually liked being around…maybe this place wouldn’t be too bad.