★ my genius, flawless idol for life

[liedol]

⭐ Who: Ai and you!
⭐ When: its fucking dember
⭐ Where: Mostly in Yumemigaoka, with some planned Hunts and stuff in the Dream Sphere
⭐ What: Wow, that was pretty decidedly awful!!! Unfortunately, there's no rest for the wicked OR the DU's idol so even though she's a little running on fumes, Ai's still got a busy December ahead of her...! With DU work and idol work and holiday obligations all on her plate, the real question is: how does she ever find time to sleep???

Comments

[reluctants]

Um..

[ Sure, she is working hard. Even Illya can admit that much. That's not the part that has her thinking this hard - it's the question that comes after it. ]

I'm not sure about fun.. [ That's a big word to use for it! ] But it's important, I like feeling like I'm doing my part..

[ Does that make sense? Illya isn't sure, but she is speaking to Ai from her heart here.. ]

Sometimes you just get a little worried you're falling behind on other things, right..? Have you never felt like that before, Ai-san? [ Maybe a.. slightly bit more appropriate of a question for a meet-and-greet.. Relatively speaking, anyway. ]

[liedol]

Heehee. I think I get that. When you're doing your best at something, even when it's hard — even if it's not exactly fun, it still feels like you're getting something special out of it. Not that it makes things any easier...!

[ She's shooting for 'encouraging' here, sure, but that doesn't mean she's going to go right to putting unrealistic ideas in poor Illya's head. By the sounds of things, she's had plenty of those already. ]

But I get what you mean there, too. Back when I first got started as a Dreamer and especially once I had my solo debut... I was always feeling I was falling behind on pretty much everything! Even nowadays, there's plenty of times where I feel like I'm not getting as much done as I want to be doing. But when you're just one person, there's only so much you can do, right? So you have to give yourself a little breathing room.

[reluctants]

[ The girl looks like she's taking it in for a moment. She slowly nods, like she's thinking she might understand, or maybe she just feels a bit of relief that a worry like this is relatable even to someone like Ai..

.. but before she can say anything, Illya glances over her shoulder, only now suddenly seeming to realise something. ]

A-Ah-- W-Wait, I'm holding up the line, aren't I?!

[ N-NO..!! That's not okay! She can't ruin Ai's very special and important meet and greet..!! ]

[liedol]

[ And of course, Ai laughs. Warmly and fondly, at least. Certainly not at Illya's expense. ]

It's alright! We have a little timer that goes off once your five minutes is up. Let's see...

[ Ai glances off somewhere under the table separating them out of Illya's sight then beams at her again. ]

You've still got a whole minute left! So just enough time to tell me one or two more things, if you like.

[reluctants]

A minute!

[ She says it like it's precious time. Mostly because Ai says she has enough time to tell her one or two more things.. And that means Illya has to make them count, right?!

(Maybe she's momentarily forgetting she can easily tell Ai more the next time she sees her.. It's not like her talks with the other are that infrequent, after all..) ]

T-Then.. [ For a moment the girl seems like she's panicking as she's trying to think of what to say out of the myriad of things she could tell Ai.. But then she suddenly - and quickly, it's probably only due to Illya's young bones that she doesn't snap her back at that speed.. - bows. ] T-Thank you, Ai-san! For having taken care of me this whole time already.. I-If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be where I am now!

[ She's not even sure whether she actually would have become a true Dreamer without the other in the first place, really.. ]

[liedol]

[ Professional as she is, even Ai's not totally invincible... no matter how hard she pretends to be. Illya being here at all has been a bit of a surprise so she's totally, utterly unprepared for her to bow like that. The surprise of it is all over her face but it's not an unpleasant expression at all - it's soft, bemused and fond and it only takes a second for it to break into a smile.

She really shouldn't do this while everyone else is watching. But Illya's much more than a fan - she's one of Ai's precious trainees.

So, ignoring the ripple of murmurs that goes through the waiting crowd, Ai bows to her in return. ]

I've been glad to do it. Getting to see you do your best and blossom really has been lovely, Illya-chan. Let's keep working hard together in the new year, too.