Torn between the two most reasonable choices, you eventually choose the more socially acceptable option: you'd rather not stand out. Of course, that leads you to the considerably more complex question of
what exactly to get in the way of dresses. In the past, you'd worn essentially plain white & black dresses during orchestral concerts, but you got the feeling that you should wear something more… interesting, despite the well-known fact that black, and to a lesser extent, white, goes with everything.
So, you went out shopping, searching for something that would suit you. At first, you looked at dresses in brighter, more vibrant blues, greens, and pinks, but quickly found that those shades
really didn't suit you, so you moved on. You already knew that yellow was not your color, so that was also out. You figured that the correct route was to go for more muted tones, and that proved to be a success. After a couple pain-staking hours of shopping, you settled on wearing a black blouse over a fairly plain red maxi dress. You felt it fit you and the situation fairly well: it wouldn't be too hot or too cold, it maintained good visual variance and unity, the skirt was wide enough to move easily in while not being extravagant, and the dress matched your eyes. Honestly, that last part was the one you had the most trouble with, initially. You'd gone for blues and greens at first, after all, and even after you'd chosen more toned-down shades, they'd clashed a bit too much with your eyes for your taste.
...Although theoretically, that could also be used to draw attention to your eyes. But that wasn't your goal, right? You wanted to fit in, not stand out too much.
Shaking the troublesome thoughts out of your mind, you put on the outfit, completing it with a black purse to keep your phone, communicator, and Strike Caliver. Even after centuries of progress, society was unable to discover a way to include ubiquitous, useful pockets in female clothing. Evidently, some things were just never meant to be.
Regardless of ever-present societal issues that were probably no longer such in TSAB Administrated Space, you had a concert to get to. It was taking place in the evening, at a traditional concert hall instead of one of those massive, over-the-top stadiums that Drei Wing seemed to frequent for their concerts. This was a more formal, hoighty-toighty affair, where the crowd wasn't supposed to go wild, everyone was sitting down, and people focused more on listening to the music than expressing their enjoyment of it.
All in all, that suited you just fine. You didn't get the impression that Sayaka would enjoy that sort of thing, though. Still, she was the one who'd invited you, so maybe your read on her was wrong.
Deciding to put off that line of thought until it was actually relevant, you leave your room and head off for the concert hall… or rather the meeting place Sayaka had apparently decided on from which the party of four could enter. You didn't
really understand why she had chosen to go at a different time than you, when it would be easier to just go together, but she probably had a good reason.
Hopefully.
==*==
"I take it that you're the new girl Sayaka-san knows from her school?" Somebody says from behind you, in unerringly polite, icy speech. You'd been searching for the exact meeting location when this person came up behind. Naturally, you do what any sensible person would do, and turn around. The person standing before you certainly fits the impression her voice gives off: wearing a long, elegant green dress, her eyes, which match both her hair and gown, are calm yet judgemental. Her green hair is tied up in a side-braid, using a distinctive pink ribbon… a ribbon not dissimilar to the one Sayaka wears in her hair. Finally, she's holding a grey suitcase with an emblem on it that… resembles the sun, with a snake in it. You're not entirely sure, exactly, but it's especially odd because she's
also carrying a purse.
"Um… Y-yes, that's right." You answer tentatively. This person is undoubtedly connected to Sayaka, and probably is one of the other two people that you're going with. You wouldn't want her to think too badly of you, because that would lead to Sayaka potentially thinking poorly of you, and you didn't want that. (Why? It's not like you haven't lost friendships before.) You decide to make the best first impression you can, given the circumstances. "My name is Hongo Miho," you say, bowing formally, "please take care of me."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Hongo-san." She says, not sounding pleased at all. "I am Shizuki Hitomi."
Had you just blown your first impression? No, you can't be sure of that yet. "So, how do you know Miki-san, Shizuki-san?" As long as you play up the politeness, you
should be good.
A slight smile graces her lips, softening her expression. But the smile seems somehow sour, perhaps bitter. Why that is, you cannot say. Just as she's about to speak, however…
"Well, if it isn't my two favorite people!" Sayaka says loudly, coming up between the two of you and throwing her arms around your necks, causing both of you to stumble in surprise. Thankfully, you're just able to prevent your head from smashing into Sayaka's. You'd recently learned what a concussion felt like, and you are not particularly eager to repeat the experience.
"I thought that
I was one of your favorite people, Sayaka." A third, male voice says opposite Sayaka in mock offense. You look in his direction, and see a boy with grey eyes and short, grey hair. (Does
everyone Sayaka knows have the same hair and eye color?) He's wearing a fairly plain lounge suit, but that's to be expected: men sacrificed visually creative clothing for the rare, mystical, arcane power of pockets… Or maybe they were just too lazy to design more interesting clothes? The jury was out on that one.
Sayaka's response brings you out of your contemplation. "You used to be, my dear Kyousuke-kun. However, your place in my heart has been stolen by the lovely maiden you see before you, Miho-sama. I'm afraid that we just were never meant to be."
You feel your face heat up as the group's attention shifts to you.
It's okay. You forcibly calm yourself.
She's just joking around, not seriously saying anything roman- Why is that
the thing I'm worried about!? This time, your blush is not the direct result of Sayaka's words, but rather your own thoughts. You're so out of it that you fail to notice Hitomi, exasperated, shrugging Sayaka's arm off of her shoulder, leading the object of your… whatever it is to pull you closer to her. Which, as one may expect, doesn't exactly help your current state.
Thankfully, it seems that Kyouske realized that it was the right situation to draw attention away from you. "Then what of my training!?" He says, still playing up the charade. "Have you abandoned all that I have taught, my apprentice?"
Huh?
Sayaka turns up her chin and nods curtly. "Correct, my former master. I am now the squire of a noble knight."
"Huh?" Kyouske says, momentarily breaking character, but he rallies quickly. "I mean- Then you are lost!"
"Are you two done?" Hitomi speaks up from the sidelines. The pair of friends pauses...
Then burst out in laughter.
As they're laughing their hearts out (Where does that expression come from, anyway?), you manage to come back to your senses. You're not sure what you're feeling exactly, but… you don't really dislike it. And once you managed to relax, you realized two things. First: being held in the way you currently are is… warm, and it feels safe. Second: you aren't really sure when you last allowed yourself to relax. It feels like for the longest time, you've been like a thread, wound around a spool far too tightly, fibers fraying, ready to snap at any moment. You begin to try to figure out what had happened, but even as you do, you feel your mood fade, as you start to wind yourself up once again. So, you…
[ ] Stop. You don't want to lose this feeling, and if you concentrate too much, you feel as if it would be lost to you, without an easy way back to calmness, peace.
[ ] Power through. If there's one thing you've learned over the past month, it's that there is nearly always a deeper, greater reason behind basically everything that probably has to do with the supernatural in some way. If you could figure out what happened… it would be invaluable, to say the least.
Initially, this was going to be a longer chapter, but... well, the encounter scene wrote itself, and this choice was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
