Maie-Marie Malveaux // Amanda Hirano
After her first day of sophomore year, which was about as schoolish as you'd expect, Maie-Marie had sprinted back to her dorm and slammed herself down on her bed, throwing open her laptop and mash-clicking on her recent downloads. She'd queued several new shows for downloading, and surely they'd all be done. It was important that she get an episode on screen post-haste. If she could get one up right away, she could watch three episodes before she had to start getting ready to go back out to the party tonight instead of two. Trying to force a third in while there wasn't enough time could result in her being late by whole minutes, and that was an unacceptable outcome. The later it got, the more excuses her roomate might find not to go. At least, that's what Marie was thinking. Whether or not Amanda-san wanted to go was a case Marie couldn't crack, but it didn't matter. She was going to go because everybody was going to go. Even more importantly, Marie didn't know Amanda's walking speed. How fast could such a shy flower possibly run? She didn't seem as athletic as Marie, that was for sure. And she probably wasn't as enthusiastic either. Maybe... maybe if I can get her to run away from something instead of towards the party, she could run at unparalled speed? You always saw that in anime, even reclusive girls could achieve lightspeed travel if they were running away from a big insect or something.
"Okay, that is another episode of Azumanga, KinMoza and Hidamari done. For now, this will have to do." Since school was starting, she'd been craving slice of life shows about schoolgirls, especially feel-good comedies. These really got her in the mood to go back to school for some reason. With no actual outlet to pursue that itch, she resigned herself to getting ready for the party instead. Stepping into the bathroom, she splashed some water on her face and then ran back to her room to get changed. Tonight was special, so maybe a sloppy tracksuit was not called for? Instead she tossed on a pair of slim-fitting biking shorts and a form-fitting t-shirt (men's extra-small athletic fit.) After a brief moment of introspection, she threw a zip-up hoodie on over top and called it done. Making her way back to the bathroom, she yelled at her roommate, being too 'busy' to actually get her or anything.
"Senpaaaaaaaaai~ It is almost time for us to go, do you need more time to prepare?"
Amanda gave a sigh as the first day of school finished, she wasn't really used to the whole and hustle and bustle of the academy, even the teachers seemed to be in pretty good spirits, well except Professor Gertrude, the way she teached just made shivers run down the brunette's spine, and then there's the homework about the whole terms and agreement of Facebook for crying out loud! Amanda doesn't know a soul who would actually be diligent enough to sit through the entirety of that wall of text, if they do, Amanda applauds to that person. Although she was particularly fond of the other teachers, she swears she could still taste the lingering flavor of those pastries Professor Mary served them. All in all, the day was particularly interesting, exciting even, but what she wouldn't do to lay down in her bed right now, just staring into the ceiling and maybe, just MAYBE think about doing her homework, just to make sure she's safe.
As soon as she got back to her room, she immediately began to work on her assignment, making a mental note on the fly to make sure to do homework ASAP, lest she regret it. With that over, the girl finally had the free time to browse on her usual sites, listen to one her tunes and peek at her Twitter, she had been meaning to post a sketch of one of her drawings. But really, it was more of an excuse to hear the opinion of others on whether it was good or not. Logging on to the site, the first thing Amanda was greeted with was a tweet about a party that was requesting everyone in Ashbury to go. She looked at it with a stupefied expression on her face, was it necessarry to invite everyone? If anything, the girl would rather stay at her room and just waste the day away finishing her artwork and just doze off...Though her roomie definitely had other plans. She just knows that Marie will persuade her into attending the party, whether she likes it or not. Deciding that she couldn't exactly pass up on the offer (even if she wanted to), Amanda began to prepare for the party, gussying up to make sure she looks presentable at the very least.
The girl was stumped and had reached an impasse, she had gotten her makeup done but now was the hard part...Choosing an outfit. With the myriad of combinations available with her clothes Amanda didn't know what to wear! Whenever she tried a particular combo on, she just couldn't feel it...Plus her fear of mirrors just made it worse, so she really needed Marie's help on this one. As if on cue, her voice resounded through the room, to which she replied.
"A-Almost! It's just...I can't pick an outfit! Can you help me?"
There was a sense of urgency in her voice, almost like a child calling out to her mother. If push comes to shove, she'll just throw in what she thinks looks good and just wing it...Hopefully.
Twisting her mouth into a pretzel shape, Marie sighed lightly.
"Oui, I will give it a shot. But I think you probably just look good in anything."
Satisfied that she was finished getting herself prepared, Marie elbowed her way into Amanda's room. If she wasn't at least a bit forceful here, they could be here for hours, so the plan was simple. If Amanda offered up an outfit that looked even remotely good, call it done and shuffle out the door.
"Let me see what you are thinking."
The sudden intrusion of her roommate took Amanda back a little, did she really have to do it so forcefully? Murmuring to herself, she was at least grateful that she was kind enough to help her with her current predicament.
"Umm...Let me just think for a moment."
She put a hand on her chin as she surveyed her options, a dress might work for a party, but she didn't want to stand out when everyone else will probably be donning something akin to their usualcasual wear...So she'll save the dress for more formal ocassions. The girl began to think again, pacing around the room as she did, it felt like she'd be here for a long, even with Marie's help. She glanced back to her, giving a reassuring smile, as if to say "Please wait." A small smile forming on her lips as she stopped midway of her pacing, the girl knew what she was going to wear. She instantly began to dig through her closet to find the garments she was looking for and began to present it to Marie. She took out a pink wool sweater with a heart in the center and a pair of white skinny jeans to compliment the outfit, she'll probably get a pair of Converse sneakers to complete her ensemble, with a wry smile, she said,
"So, what do you think? Is this good enough?"
"It is quite good, I like it." Marie's words were rushed but she wasn't lying. "This outfit is very you, I think. Now, c'est beau, this is good. We have to get going! We do not want to be late."
As quickly as she burst in, Maria burst out of the room, out of the dorm, and outside to the front of the building. Jogging in place, she waited for Amanda to get dressed and make her way outside. Once everything was prepared, they made their way to the Hancocks' mansion, Marie bouncing around excitedly like a small dog on a leash the whole way. She wasn't necessarily a 'party girl' so to speak, but the adrenaline potential of having so many people in one place was unquestionable, so it was hard not to get excited. Everything else was secondary.
Amanda was relieved that her ensemble was pleasing enough, she hurriedly began to get dressed. She was feeling a mix of anxiety and excitement all at once, and her roommate was certainly more than prepared for the event, after adding the finishing touches she went outside of their dorm.
One the way to the destination she couldn't help but think of the party...What was it going to be like? How many people? Will everyone really come? That just seemed like an excessive amount of people crammed all into one mansion, can a mansion even fit an entire school of students? How is that even possible? Shrugging to herself and looking over Marie, she decided that she might as well enjoy it, her energy was rubbing off of her. Then as they were in front of the mansion doors she remembered something...
"Wait, were we supposed to be bring food?!"
She was looking around the area, other students did bring their own snacks, and the tweet did mention something about that as well. How embarrassing! Were they the only ones who didn't bring anything? They haven't even entered the mansion proper and they're already making a fool of themselves. Amanda looked at Marie with a worried expression on her face.
"S-Should we go back and get some?"
She asked her friend, waiting for a response.
Marie hadn't thought about that. Somehow it seems it'd slipped her mind. But while it seemed as though it was causing Amanda some anxiety, Marie wasn't worried at all. "The solution is simple, is it not? If we did not bring anything to eat, we will not eat!"
Cracking a broad grin, she really did seriously consider simply not touching any food for the whole night as punishment for forgetting. The only thing that kept her away from that thought was the fact that she wasn't just here on her own. And Marie wouldn't make Amanda starve because of her own mistake. "I will grab something. You keep going, I will catch up."
After sprinting off down a side street, Marie returned shortly with a giant bag full of energy drinks and assorted candy. "It is not technically food I suppose, but perhaps this will have to do?" She scratched her head awkwardly. She'd found a convenience store and just bought what she might want to see at the party without thinking about things again. It was a very Marie-like thing to do. Even so, it was better than being empty-handed.
---
As expected, things were rowdy, loud, and the mood was clear: These are the people you're going to spend at least the next year with. Might as well let loose and get close. It was clear they had the right place so Marie didn't bother to knock or anything. Instead she simply shoved herself inside (pushing Amanda in front of her) and dropped her goodies off in the kitchen, snapping up a can of Jam from the pack before putting the rest away. She'd need all the energy she could spare tonight it looked like.
"Come on, Senpai, we must greet everyone! You can stop being nervous now, since you are already here! It is too late to go home and change, so now you can ask everyone if your outfit looks good, instead of just me. Go, vite vite!"
