Theater Kid is Experiencing a Long December

[thestarknows]

⭐ Who: Junna... and you!
⭐ When: Throughout December!
⭐ Where: In Yumemigaoka!
⭐ What: A December catch-all! I'll have a couple open prompts but hit me up if you want a different prompt.

Comments

Audition Results, 12/15 (open)

[thestarknows]

[Junna is at Riverwalk Theater. Near the entrance, there is a small crowd gathered... to the side of the posters advertising plays. It's a smaller set of framed printouts -- a bit of a tradition for the Riverwalk, announcing who won the results of a casting call for a community play in early March.

Junna is there, browsing over them. Her nose wrinkles; she shifts to peer around someone, scanning over the audition results. She isn't really expecting to get cast. There's people who've been doing community plays in Yumemigaoka for years; she's against some very talented people. And her parents didn't want her to do it, but she did. But was her heart in it? She hopes, but--

Wait.

Junna's eyes go wide and then she does something between a squeak, a yelp, and a cheer:] Oh--oh my gosh!

[There, next to one of the lead roles, is some fateful kanji: 星見 純那

Hoshimi Junna.]

Gift-a-thon, Week of Christmas (open)

[thestarknows]

[Junna is prowling about the Dreamer Union headquarters... in search of friends, acquaintances, and coworkers. She has a bag over one shoulder and she has a mission. It's time to give people gifts. And thus, when she spots someone:]

Oh! Pardon, do you have a moment!

[There's a smile, then.]

[deadwishes]

[Tsukasa stops but he's not entirely sure she really meant him but hey, it's Tsukasa she's getting.]

Yeah?

[thestarknows]

Amane-kun! [She smiles brightly.

She... still has trouble telling them apart. Also she spent so much more time around Amane that--that she tends to mentally default to them.

And she speaks quickly:] Hold on just a second! I have your present!

[deadwishes]

[Sometimes Tsukasa will correct people. When they were younger, Tsukasa rarely did. It was pretty funny. Getting older, though, he did it less. It wasn't a matter of maturing but well, Tsukasa didn't think Amane liked it as much anymore.

Yet Amane is ignoring him and if he has his gift then Amane can't ignore him! Perfect.

He puts on his best Amane act and smiles.] For me? You got me unprepared!

[thestarknows]

Oh, it's okay, don't worry.

[The world is a stage and people are but players in it. In this case, Junna doesn't know what part she is playing, though. She brightens and nods, before she opens the bag.

There's... a few wrapped presents inside. There's also a lot of plastic zipped bags, with some homemade holiday cookies. She pulls out a small present first, which is neatly wrapped, and hands it over.]

Merry Christmas! I hope you like it. [It's a box, with the telltale jingle of plastic parts.]

[deadwishes]

[One day, Junna, you will have something wonderful come your way because of this nonsense.

It is so tempting to open it right now because Tsukasa loves opening things. He's a Christmas fiend. But he has respect for the fact this is Amane's gift.]

Do you mind if I wait? Christmas gifts should wait until Christmas day, right?

[thestarknows]

[There's a blink, but only a brief one. It makes sense.

She nods, cheerfully.] Oh, yes, of course! Though...

[She pulls out two ziploc baggies, which have about half-a-dozen iced Christmas cookies each. She hands them over.]

Maybe don't wait on these. I made a set for Tsukasa-san, too.

[thezekeinator]

[As usual, Zeke has shown up at the DU despite not technically being a part of it.
Also he's duel-wielding giant candycanes. Ignore that.]

Hey! [Completely ignoring what she'd said, he breaks into a huge smile.] I heard the terrific news! Congratulations!

[thestarknows]

Ah-- [Junna blinks at him.

She's both recovering from the thought she'd give a gift and trying to think of what the news would be.]

Thank you! I think. What... what news do you mean?

[thezekeinator]

[Zeke points at her with one of those large candy canes. It doesn't hit her face, but don't mind how close it came.]

Someone, or rather a couple someones, have become a capital-I Item!

[thestarknows]

[Junna reflexively steps back. Even if it wasn't going to hit her... reflexes!

There's a blink, though -- then realization -- and then she smiles.]

Ah--ah, yeah! I... guess word's getting around, now. Thank you, Zeke-san.

[thezekeinator]

Straight from the source, and I'm tickled pink! You two make for a terrific match. The Zekenator approves!

[Behind his goofy grin and thumbs-and-candy-cane-up is sincere delight, because he truly does think they make for a great pair! Two of his favorite Dreamers partnering up like that? He can't ask for better news!]

[thestarknows]

W-Well, thank you! I think we do, too. But... I have some bias.

[Junna smiles a little at that and she brightens up.] I'm glad everyone's been supportive, too.

[olruggio]

[Olly is no longer working under a deadline... Is what he wishes were true. The fact of the matter is that he has other commissions to complete: posters, web pages, even more architectural lighting now that people were aware he was in town and they could bully speak with him face to face. Ironically, it feels like the DU is one of the few places he could get his thoughts in order for a couple of hours.

Thankfully, his sponsors have some semblance of mercy and have given him a holiday break. By which we meant that none of the deadlines are in the two weeks that span Christmas nor the New Year. Yay]

Hm?

[he looks up from the notebook he's been scribbling in to look at the young girl that called out to him]

...

[there's an annoyed groan as he rubs the bridge of his nose] Of all the things to have become a habit...! [a sigh before he pushes himself up in his seat so that she knows he's given her his full attention] Yes, what is it?

[thestarknows]

[Junna has a brief look of... well, confusion on her face. She didn't expect that response. Granted, she doesn't know Olruggio, but... she hesitates for a second. Then, she puts on a more practiced smile, and walks over.

Her hand goes into her bag. Out comes a small plastic bag, with a half dozen small Christmas cookies inside. Sugar cookies, with icing to give them that "festive look." She hands it over.]

Merry Christmas.

[olruggio]

[he stares at her for a moment before sighing quietly, recognizing the confusion and... Not doing much to fix it. Then comes the the little present and if Olruggio didn't feel bad about his previous attitude he certainly feels a bit of guilt now]

... Merry Christmas.

[he takes a moment to rub sleep from his eyes his face. He does make an effort to look less grumpy at least. She's clearly doing this to be nice but-]

You're not planning on giving these out to everyone at the DU, are you? [he thought ovens were uncommon in Japanese households...]

[thestarknows]

Enjoy!

[Junna borrowed the ovens at headquarters...

...but maybe she won't mention that, given the response. Though--though he does look like he's trying to be less guilty.]

Just the ones who are here today. So... yes, sort of. Things have been stressful lately, so... a little pick-me-up.

[olruggio]

[he taps his pen against his notebook - though on closer inspection, there's no writing lines and it's covered with sketches so maybe it's more apropos to call it his sketchbook instead - before putting said pen down with a sigh]

You know there is such a thing as 'over-achieving', right? [that said, he (finally!) gives her a wry smile as he takes the little bag of cookies] Not necessarily a bad thing, but what were you going to do if there was fewer people here than you had expected?

Christmas Eve Date, 12/24 (closed to Lisa)

[thestarknows]

[Part of being in a new relationship... is the Christmas Eve date.

They picked Hina Flower Gardens. It's more of a spring and fall destination -- but the garden has a collection of winter plants, supplemented with lights, for the holidays. It's supposed to be romantic. Junna saw a few pictures; she hemmed, hawed, and then she realized she was obsessing. And thus... the plan was made.

Junna is meeting Lisa at her place. She walks up to the door, wearing a suitable outfit for an outdoor date. Her hair is worn down for once; no loose ponytail, just long purple hair down to the middle of her back. She has a dark blue dress on, with straps, and a stylish dark green coat worn over it. She has her nice handbag, over one shoulder, and a pair of glasses with black rims. And her make-up is done up.

She dressed to look extra nice. It still feels a little weird.

But she reaches over... and rings the doorbell. Ding dong. Then, a deep breath. Here she goes.]

[traceofeffort]

[Lisa is also obsessing, but in the opposite direction. She's determined not to screw this up. Partly because Junna deserves the nice experience, partly because she's had a long year and she truly thinks she deserves something nice for once... and partly because she wants to experience being a maiden in love, too. No matter what she says, no matter her past. So while she's a lot little nervous, she's doing her best to push through it. Everything will be fine. Nothing is going to go wrong tonight on their trip to the Gardens. They're going to go out and have a nice, intimate time, and she's going to be able to relax and let go-

ding dong, the door chimes, and Lisa squeaks in surprise despite already standing in front of it. C'mon, Lisa, you can do this, be cool! Taking a deep breath and reaching for her own bag to throw over her shoulder, she opens the door.

And pauses a moment, taking Junna in, before letting out that breath and letting a soft smile she mostly feels play across her lips. The fact that Junna did show up and seems to have been looking forward to it eases her nerves a little, given they're both dressed up. Uh, again. Didn't she have this thought the first time too?

She'd picked out a cream-colored dress that leaves her shoulders mostly bare, cinched around the waist with a dark fabric belt; she'd debated a heavy coat for a bit, before giving up on it and settling for something mid-weight in a deep gray. Lisa's trademark red scarf isn't here, being a little too loud for the occasion, so she's pulled out her "business" scarf, a slightly less fuzzy piece in alternating light and dark gray, although there's still a small red eighth-note sewn into one end; it's wrapped loosely around her neck so she could make sure it wasn't going to get in her way too much or get at her makeup. It's dressier than her usual, but it's comfortable enough she could handle going for a stroll.

...she forces her mouth to work before she gets caught staring. Or freezes standing in her doorway.]

Junna, hey! You, um. You look good.

[............she did not nail it, but she's not sure she minds, this once. It's fine. Junna surprised her! Which. She's happy about anyway.]

[thestarknows]

[Junna smiles back when the door opens -- though she stares, too, for a second. She always thought that Lisa was pretty; that opinion has only risen since they started dating. But her outfit is perfect,today, and she looks at her for a moment before her brain catches up with herself. She shouldn't just stare. She reddens, a little, before she smiles.

There's a nervous adjustment of her coat, tugging it a little to even it out over her shoulders. Because her hands need to be doing something.]

Lisa! Um--ah--you too. V-Very nice outfit.

[Maybe she didn't nail it, either. But she doesn't mind. And it's getting easier to be a little dumb -- and a little awkward -- around Lisa. That kind of acceptance is new, but... it's important. And it's nice, in a way she never fully understood.

She smiles and offers Lisa a hand.]

Ready? I've been looking forward to this all week.

[traceofeffort]

[Ugh, cute, Lisa can't deal with this- well, no, she can, it's an expression, don't do this brain-

-then again, they're on the same page again. So it's a good start, and she relaxes some. They both want the same thing, right? So she can just take it easy and do more or less what she always does, and it'll work out. She takes the offered hand with a huge, slightly dopey grin, stepping out to close the door.]

Hehe. I've been daydreaming about it for a month, so I was really happy you asked me. I am really happy. So... yeah. Ready anytime~!

[Her job tonight is to keep Junna from overthinking things. They're just going out to enjoy the evening. No fuss. No stress. No problem.]

I'm kind of excited, you know? I haven't seen the gardens in winter before.

[thestarknows]

[Junna takes that hand, with a smile that's almost becoming dopey. She manages a little poise, though -- and she squeezes her hand, before falling in next to her. There's a glance to the side -- but she has to be careful or she'll keep admiring Lisa and not getting anywhere.

Focus, Junna!!

She smiles, then she nods.] Me, too. About... daydreaming about it. And I haven't, either! I'm glad they're open tonight.

[She'll try to keep from stressing. And try to keep Lisa from stressing.

But first, they have to get to the garden! It's a short walk, a short train ride, and another short walk over. Once they're almost there...

The garden's entrance stretches out before them. It's been done up with a winter and Christmas theme; wreathes, poinsettias, and holiday arrangements of plants and winter plants that form a large arch leading into the gardens proper. There's still snow on the ground, but the path leading to it -- and to the gardens -- is clear. There's some people here, but because it's outdoors and the gardens are spacious... it's mostly couples who want to enjoy each other's company.

Junna breathes out, sighing, and looks impressed -- and happy -- as she gets a good look at the garden's entrance.]

...Wow.

[traceofeffort]

[Any other time Lisa would be fine with that! But. Places to be! Things to do! So she won't hesitate to gently nudge Junna if she stops and stares quite too long (train ride aside, since they don't exactly have anything else to do), even if she still gets a little thrill that it's happening at all.

Except when they finally make it to the botanical garden, where Lisa will be doing some staring of her own. Uh- at the flowers! If she wants to stare at Junna, there'll be time for that later. She smiles, head canted slightly.]

Wow is right. They put a lot of work into this. I like the gardens in summer, but... this feels totally different. Special, though. Just for us, yeah? And we're not even inside yet!