[RL Open to close friends of Naoto | School Rooftop]

[truthinfortune]

Naoto decided to hide out on the school rooftop after that last prank Kaito pulled. She was wearing the boy's gym uniform--powder blue sweatpants and zippered jacket--while her clothes were being laundered. In her hands she held her cabbie hat, still wet, but no longer dyed festive colors. She wouldn't allow anyone to touch that hat, which belonged

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[ddd_zack]

[Zack loves high places too, and often comes up to the roof so he can people-watch and see what everyone is doing. He almost walks right by her before he does a double-take and stops.]

Whoa, hey! You okay? [He doesn't know who this kid is - a freshman by the size of him - but he can't just walk by someone in distress.]

((I hope it's okay for me to butt in, Zack needs to get to know more people *sweatdrops* Just ignore this or delete it if you'd rather not deal with him))

[truthinfortune]

[Naoto looks up, blinking, and quickly scrubs at her eyes with one sleeve. An upperclassman, by the look of him, but she doesn't know him well. Probably because she's never had to drag him to detention.]

I, um... I just needed a moment to myself, that's all... That last prank Kuroba pulled was pretty bad, wasn't it?

((Sure! And since Naoto is dressed this way, he probably doesn't recognize her as the Head of the Disciplinary Committee. That, and I doubt Zack gets in trouble all that often.))

[ddd_zack]

Dunno, I didn't get hit by it - is that why half the people in school are covered in red and green? [He smiles sympathetically, now understanding why the kid is dressed in a gym uniform.] I was outside until just now, guess I missed the fun.

((Zack might get detention for being too loud and energetic in class, but he'd never need to be dragged to it, lol. Can he tell she's a girl? Given the clothes, he's going to assume 'boy' unless there's real evidence otherwise))

[truthinfortune]

[nods her head] Yes. Kuroba put dye in the sprinkler system. He's such an insensitive jerk sometimes! [balls her hand into a fist] He made me look like a fool, in front of the entire school! And the worse part is that he's going to get off scott-free just because I'm not smart enough or fast enough to apprehend him...

[dammit, no, don't start crying again, you've cried enough already]

((Well, since her bindings got wet, she's not wearing them, so she has noticeable breasts. That is, once she's not hunched over and hiding them.]

[ddd_zack]

[He is slightly alarmed by the threatened reappearance of the tears, and puts a comforting hand on the kid's shoulder.] Oh, whoa, hey, calm down. He didn't make you look like any more of a fool than everyone else who got caught in it, right? The best defence to a prank like that is to laugh it off and never let them know they bothered you. That way, you've robbed them of most of the fun of it. [He's not speaking from previous experience as a prankster, not at all, really.]

If they know he's the one who did it, they'll get him for it eventually. Why is it your responsibility?

[truthinfortune]

[Naoto raises her head to look up at the older boy.]

Because... I'm the Head of the Disciplinary Committee. It's my responsibility to make sure that troublemakers like Kuroba are punished for their bad behavior... but how can I do that if I can't bring him into detention?

I thought that I had finally managed to catch him... but it turned out to be a dummy instead. And I still can't figure out how he managed that trick, either!

[She bites her lip painfully, hoping it'll be enough to hold back the tears.]

[ddd_zack]

[Zack blinks, because hadn't he heard that the head of the Disciplinary Committee was a girl? Oops...]

Okay, well... that's a problem, but problems can be solved. [With a confident smile, he crouches down next to her so she doesn't have to strain her neck to look up at him.] Break it down into steps. Obviously chasing after him directly isn't getting you anywhere. Can you set an ambush for him? He has to go to class eventually, right?

[truthinfortune]

[Naoto recognizes the look immediately. He'd thought Naoto was a boy this entire time, hadn't he? Honest mistake. It didn't bother her in the slightest.]

Sure, but... it won't do any good. [She heaves a sigh.] None of it will. No matter how many times Kuroba ends up in detention, he'll just right back to causing trouble. All of them do. Nothing I do will change anything, so... why should I even bother?

[ddd_zack]

[Zack tilts his head, recognizing the sound of someone working themselves towards depression. He can't let that continue, no way.]

Okay, come over here for a second. [He bounces to his feet again and grabs her hand, tugging her to try to get her on her feet. He'll let go if she really resists, but if she just stays limp he'll pull her up himself if he has to.]