Knock Knock [Stella]

[Misato Hazukashi]

Moe had just been passing by the girls dorms visiting Estelle when he spotted Zac sneaking out of the opposite dorm. Frowning softly, he hesitated in the hallway till he was out of sight, before knocking politely on the door.

He couldn't think of anything that Zac would want in the girls dorms aside from Stella - who the little Brunette had noticed Zac had some small semblance of fondness for. He smoothed his dress down and cleared his throat, waiting for someone to open the door so he could go in and talk to the pale girl. Nothing nasty ever, she seemed like a lovely person, just a genuine concern for her well being. Zac had proved to Moe that anyone would be collateral damage, and he didn't want to see someone so sweet hurt.

"Stella? It's Misato?" He said softly through the door, glancing nervously over at the stairwell in case LaRousse would return and be angry. "I just wanted to talk for a little bit." He wrung his hands and stepped from foot to foot.

Poor Stella. Moe didn't want her to be betrayed like he was.

[Stella Pinyin]

Stella was beginning to think she should not get into her pyjamas until much later, if so many people visiting was going to become a habit. "Ah, hello," Stella said slowly as she opened the door. She'd seen Misato around the school sometimes, because even with her eyesight her dresses stood out. And yes, as far as Stella knew, the little suger-puff was a girl. The idea of anything else never had occurred to her.

And she wanted to talk? "Of-Of course," Stella opened her door quickly, stepping back to make room for the small girl. "Come in. Can I, ah- I'll just make some tea."

She hadn't even had a chance to clear the bowls from her late dinner. Carefully stacking them up then reaching for more tea, Stella pulled down the lidded pot she used for green tea and filled it with hot water and a measure of leaves. "I hope green is alright," she said as she carried it over to the low table. "It is, ah, welcoming for new guests?"

Because as much as Stella could remember, Misato had never really spoken to her before... well, ever. "Ah, are you alright?" the chinese girl asked as she brought the pot down to the table with fresh cups. "Can I do anything for you, Misato?" the Japanese name sat oddly on her tongue.

[Misato Hazukashi]

Moe continued to wring his hands till he was inside, then hovered nervously, having never really spoken to Stella before. "Thank you, I love green." He said politely, sitting down by the table and crossing his legs.

Gosh she was so sweet, how could Zac do something to her? He cleared his throat and pushed his hair behind his ear. "I'm fine thank you, how are you faring?" His voice was soft, trying to come across as gentle as possible. "I was just... concerned for you." He admitted, lacing his fingers around one of the cups and chewing on his lip in thought.

"I saw you talking to Zac earlier. He was... ...." He trailed off. "Polite to you, yes?" He said slowly. He didn't want to come across pushy, since Stella was allowed to be friends with whoever she liked. "I just..." He took a big deep breath and managed to say his piece. "I'm worried for you. Zac starts off nice but he was very cruel to a lot of people recently." He reached over to gently squeeze Stella's hand.

"You're a good, kind person. I don't want you hurt as well."

[Stella Pinyin]

Someone who liked tea! Stella's face lit up, but not enough to blinde anyway. "It's with jasmine," she said with a little more animation. "Very calming. I have those little, um, flowers that open... but, well, ah, not many people at hammel..." On impulse she rose to her feet and began running her hands over the lids of the boxes, then pulled one down and found a glass. "They are very pretty, I think. I can't see them properly, but very pretty." Dropping the little pearl into the glass, she poured in hot water and quickly took it back to Moe.

It was maybe a bit impulsive, as they'd never talked, but she had wanted to show these to someone for a while and Zac didn't find tea that interesting... or even like it that much.

"Oh, I am good," she replied, sipping at the fresh green tea and looking a little confused at being asked. "There is, ah, I mean, nothing to, you say, write to the house for?" Her puzzled expression grew more pronounced as Misato expressed his concern. "Oh?" she asked wrapping a finger in her white hair and tugging it slightly. "No, I am very well. It is not so sunny now, I can go outside a bit more." She burnt in minutes, it was very unpleasant.

This girl was asking about Zac? "Zac is not, well, he is not exactly," the pale girl managed a smile, "he has different manners but he is never, well, not nice." Her face was heating up a little, and Stella clapped her hands to her cheeks to hide it, though was confused as to why she was blushing at such a simple question. "He teases, but it is good to have a friend."

Starting a little at the pressure on her hand, Stella looked down then up, clearly non-plussed. "He said people were angry," she admitted, "But Zac is never cruel. I mean, I think he can be very, well, ah, he can," the english word wasn't coming to her and she muttered frustration in chinese. "He would not mean to hurt people."

Her blush came back, but she knew why it was there this time. "Oh, well, that is very kind," she mumbled, pouring more tea. "You do not have to say these things." Still, the quiet girl could not help but give a bashful smile. "Can... Can I get you something to eat?"

That seemed to work when it came to making friends, and it was nice to talk to someone else, for all that she looked up to Zac. At least Misato did not always want to cuddle her, which was new and still a bit strange to Stella.

[Misato Hazukashi]

"It is so difficult to find good tea." Moe lamented as Stella explained her tea was with Jasmine. "I get my Papa to send me Matcha in the post." He added, enjoying the smell of fresh green tea and closing his eyes. They blinked open when Stella said she had flowers to put in the tea, and he shuffled forward eagerly. When the pearls dropped in, he watched keenly and clapped his hands in delight. "How fantastic!" He said, watching the leaves slowly unfold.

Moe quietly mourned the fact Stella couldn't properly see the little bubbles rise from the leaves, but there was no point crying over the price of eggs. Or whatever the saying was. "You're a lovely host. Thank you." He added politely, semi-mesmerised by the flower. "I'm glad you are well." The tiny teen smiled, nodding. "It must be hard not to go in the sunshine." He said, partly to himself.

"I think it's nothing to write... home for? I don't understand it." He shook his head, slightly embarrassed. Still, it was nice to have someone else confused about English phrases. A lot of them seemed nonsensical to him.

When Stella defended Zac, Moe sighed heavily and dropped his hands back into his lap. "I believed that too." He started, his voice soft. "We had... a fight not so long ago." He bowed his head in shame. "I don't forgive myself for that." He sighed and avoided Stella's gaze.

"That aside... when he and Mia showed naked pictures of myself and of others, I wanted him to say sorry." It felt odd telling the story to Stella. "But he said I was nothing but collateral damage. I don't want you to be collateral damage too." He breathed. Stella was a good person, and maybe not as lucky as he was to have a supportive network of angry friends. "Just..." He took a big breath. "Promise me you'll be careful?"

Moe took this time to sip his tea, enjoying it very much. "Something to eat?" He asked curiously. "That would be lovely, but I... I must give you a gift first." No matter how long the boy had been in america, he still felt compulsed to give a gift to those he was visiting. He rummaged in his bag for a long while, before withdrawing a little, still unopened pot of balm. "This is for you. I'm sorry it's not a proper gift, I'll be more prepared next time."

"It's meant to be rubbed on your temples to aid a restful sleep." He added, offering the palm out.

[Stella Pinyin]

"It is better then burning!" Stella smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "I just have to wear a big hat." To her, sunlight was associated with turning pink and being burnt and so, while it was pretty, she felt no real loss. They were just not suited to each other.

Taking delight in Misato's delight of the tea, she made a mental note to gift him some before he left, and nodded with enthusiasm at his lack of understanding. "I know! I am getting much better, but it is still, well, some things are still in the clouds." That did not sound right, but it was the closest she could think of.

But things were getting serious, and when Misato told Stella what Zac had done, the light went out and the room plunged into darkness.. "He did what?" Stella asked softly, one hand over her mouth as her eyes widened. "Why would he do something like that? And, who, Mia?" her mind was trying to race ahead even as she had to concentrate to pick up all the words and bring the light back up. "Co-lat-er-al?" she asked faintly, unsure what it meant, even as she bobbed her head in thanks for the balm.

"I... I do not understand..." Stella said softly, even as she rose to her feet and fetched a tin of Lotus Seed Cookies to empty onto a plate. "Why did he do this? If you were his friend, he could not have meant to hurt you... I, ah, this.." putting the plate down, Stella busied herself refilling cups, biting her lip.

"He said, he said that it was a joke," she tried to explain.

[Misato Hazukashi]

Moe privately agreed - he may have been a healthy colour but sunshine and no suntan, especially in a non shady space often made Moe go an angry red. "Autumn is much prettier anyway." He said helpfully, shifting slightly. "Or Spring, do you like Spring, Stella?"

"Such strange words. Like "Rose-tinted glasses" and "crying over spilled milk"." He shook his head. Even being in America for so long hadn't helped him understand some of the strange phrases. It was a miracle he could understand Vincent at all. He took another sip of tea, smiling at how refreshing it was. "Ah well, I'm sure people wouldn't understand our proverbs either."

When the light went out, Moe jumped, nearly spilling his tea. Assuming it was something to do with Stella's power, Moe lifted his hands defensively and blinked a few times to accustom himself to the darkness. "I don't know. It was meant to be a prank." He said softly. "Many people were exposed on the projector. No one got an apology." He looked a little bitter as the light came up, and shook his head. "He said I was his friend. Then he did that." He swallowed. "A lot of people are mad at him for it." He concluded.

He was glad she took the balm, at least. "I didn't understand either." He bobbed his head, mirroring her action previously. "These look lovely." He added, taking a cookie and nibbling it. "It was hurtful. The fact he is not sorry is what pains me most." He looked up then. "I don't want you to cut ties with him!" He said suddenly. "You can be friends with whoever you wish. I just... want you to be careful."

Moe paused then, folding his hands in his lap. "My parents were called. They had to hear how I was... exposed. They wanted me to transfer to Eisai."

[Stella Pinyin]

"Oh yes. It's very nice," Stella nodded, "Lovely colours! And I like magnolias, and seeing grey turn green again. You seem like a spring person, maybe? Very colourful, like a butterfly." Stella saw everything as colour, without real lines. Misato had it right, she loved autum and spring if for nothing more then that.

Stella giggled a little at the idea of pink glasses. That was a new one. "I think so too. I am trying to understand, but," she shrugged as she sipped her tea. "Things don't translate well, some things. It can be frustrating."

Apologising for her power surge, Stella worried her lip."What projector?" Stella asked, "I don't... was it on an email? Or at an assembly?" Shaking her head, the pale girl took a cookie and nibbled it absently. "It seems, ah, if you are his friend he should have said sorry," she was perhaps stating the obvious but the albino was trying desperately to understand the full picture when she felt there were pieces missing. "And Mia? Is she your friend too?"

Looking up, her pale eyes widened at the sudden outburst. "No, no," Stella said quickly. "Zac is my friend. I, ah, I am confused why he did this but I won't cut him." Blushing again, Stella let her hair swing forward to hide her obvious confusion. "I... I would be very upset if he had done that to me," she managed to get out. "How did he, I mean... I hope you are not transferring!"

What would her uncle had said if that was her? She didn't even want to think about it. "They must have been very upset," she went on. "I mean... Zac did a bad thing... did he say why? Was there... was there a reason?"

[Misato Hazukashi]

"Oh... I love magnolias too! And cherry blossom, but where I am from we have festivals about it. I do love Spring very much, all the flowers reappearing again, and the little baby animals." Moe smiled cheerily, looking forward to next year if for nothing but the beautiful Spring weather. "It's also not too hot. Just right, good weather for picnics."

He nodded in agreement at Stella's comment of things being lost in translation, and happily finished his first cookie, enjoying it. "Oh well, at least we are trying, yes? I've been here since I was young and things still puzzle me."

Clearing his throat once more, Moe shifted and lifted his refilled tea to his lips. "It was the projector in the main auditorium." He explained softly, nervously twisting his skirt between his fingers. "It was of me and my boyfriend, being... being intimate." He breathed, skin going a pink hue. When Stella asked if Mia was his friend, Moe scowled slightly and shook his head. "No, she and I... do not see eye to eye. She is very rude."

"But Zac just let the projector keep showing these images till Dr. Neville unplugged the thing." He explained, swirling his tea in the mug and looking down at it. "I came to speak with him about it, and that's when he said he wasn't sorry and that it was a great prank." He huffed a little then, and watched the steam rise up from the liquid. "Some of it, I know, was Mia's fault, but Zac just let her!"

He stopped to calm himself, taking a few deep breaths and shyly taking another cookie. "I don't understand it very well. I have been off school for a fortnight trying to avoid it all." The tiny teen eventually looked up again. "I'm not transferring." He added shyly, lifting his hand up to gesture at the pink plastic ring on his finger. "Uhm. My boyfriend proposed to me a few days ago."

"I just think it was a prank that went too far, and Zac's too stubborn to admit it was a bad thing to do." He offered eventually, looking over at Stella. "Maybe he can explain it better to you?" There was a long silence, before Moe keenly eyed Stella's fingers.

"Would you like me to paint your nails? I'll make it a nice colour that you can see clearly?"

[Stella Pinyin]

"Oh," Stella said quietly, then exactly what intimate meant sunk in and she blushed and clapped a hand to her mouth. "Oh no.." Her cheeks were burning even thinking about it, let alone the idea of if there had been photos... well, if she had ever done anything that anyone might consider intimate. At all. Ever. Which she had not.

It was quite possible she could internally combust from embarrassment at even thinking about it.

Stella had no idea who Mia was but the mental image that was growing in her mind was one that was quite honestly terrifying. And yes, it might be a seven foot tall woman with eyes that glowed blood red but Stella's mind had a habit of building up rather frightening images of things she was worried about.

Still, her worry left as Stella carefully took Moe's hand and brought it closer to her face so she could make out what the japanese boy was trying to show her. "Oh my," she breathed, "that is so exciting!" The meek girl had been dreaming up weddings since she was a little girl, and that someone at school, someone she now knew was getting married...

"Who is he? Does he go to Hammel? Are your parents happy?" Usually Stella would never have dreamed about asking so many questions of someone she had just met... but... weddings!

And she was going to talk to Zac about it, because she was still at a loss as to what he had been hoping to achieve. Lost in her thoughts, the girl started a little at Moe's suggestion, then nodded shyly. "If.. if you like. What colour? I can never paint them, I can't see well enough to not get polish everywhere..."

[Misato Hazukashi]

Moe realised Stella felt uncomfortable and quickly changed the subject to ease her discomfort. "My boyfriend is used to that, in some respects I guess you're lucky you don't see him streaking around the school." He giggled softly and shook his head. Stupid Vincent couldn't keep his genitals to himself.

"Thank you!" He cooed, admiring the cheap plastic ring as though it was a 24 carat gold diamond ring. "We're going to get proper rings for each other when we have the money." He added, sighing with happiness. There were always silver linings on clouds after all, it seemed. "His name is Vincent." He said softly, unable to stop smiling. "He does go here. He's very well known for using his power to gain money." He tutted a little then.

"My Papa... he's not too happy. He doesn't think Vincent is right for me." The tiny brunette sighed, looking a bit disappointed. "But he's not stopping us, and Ma is happy. Vincent just takes a little getting used to. He's very ... loud. And not very clever." At least Moe wasn't deluding himself that Vin was a smart man. "I don't know when we're going to get married, but I'm already looking at dresses." He blushed a little at that, not wanting to sound hasty but there were SO many beautiful dresses out there, he wanted to look beautiful.

When Stella asked what colour nail polish the Japanese boy intended to paint her nails, he hummed for a few moments. "Mm. How about a peacock blue? I can put a sparkle coat on too so when you light up, your nails glitter!" There was no point in putting any of the fancy stick on charms and stones that Moe did his own nails in, if Stella couldn't appreciate them. He did lift out the little makeup bag he kept with him though, and hold out the blue nail polish for her to see. "What do you think?" He asked eagerly.

[Stella Pinyin]

"Streaking?" Stella asked hesitantly, "Like... stripes?"

Yes, Stella needed to be kept far away from Vincent's genitals.

Though she had not heard of Vincent, which was perhaps a good thing, nor could she imagine being able to use her ability to do anything other then temporarily blind people. "Your parents are happy though, if you are happy I think," still, Moe wasn't exactly putting the hard sale on her (his) fiancee and so Stella just smiled and nodded, because wedding dresses were amazing and had to be perfect.

It was something of a relief when the subject matter changed because really, Stella did not know how to respond to someone calling their finance, well, not smart. How was he supposed to provide for her?

Yes, Stella believed in being a housewife. Does that surprise anyone?

"The pea-cock is the bird with the, ah," Splaying her pale hands, Stella held them both up, "with the big tale like this, yes? That is a lovely colour!" Blushing a little as moe drew attention to her lighting up, she nodded and took the bottle to look at it closely and nodded eagerly. "Oh yes. Do you need more light?" The room was a little dim, and Stella knew that low levels of light weren't ideal for most people.

[Misato Hazukashi]

"Ah... no. Like public nudity." Moe explained with a blush. "He's not very modest."

Understatement of the year goes to Misato.

"Yes, I think my Ma understands that best." He agreed, lacing his fingers together. "Vincent has a big heart, and he does everything he can to make me happy." He nodded, offering a tiny shrug. In some respects Moe knew he could probably have done better if he'd wanted to. But the truth was, Vincent loved him and that was the only thing in the world that mattered to the tiny brunette.

He watched Stella's hands then nodded. "Yes yes!" He said eagerly. When she asked about more light, again he nodded. "That would be lovely, thank you Stella." He bobbed his head in gratitude, then delicately began applying a base coat to her fingernails. His movements were precise and delicate from years of painting his nails near constantly, and within a few minutes, each nail was covered in the milky coloured base coat.

"Thank you for listening to me." Moe said thoughtfully as he waited for the coat to dry. "I am sorry for barging in, but you seem like a lovely person and I wanted you to be safe." He impressed the words, putting a slim hand on his chest. "I can't imagine Zac wanting to harm you, but all the same..."

He went quiet then, and busied himself in starting the first coat of the peacock blue.

[Stella Pinyin]

Closing her eyes, Stella frowned and then slowly opened her eyes. The light levels had risen, and she'd done it first time too! It was enough to make her smile to herself as she splayed her fingers over the table, watching Misato paint on colours.

Her cheeks went pink and Stella ducked her head to hide her smile. "You really think so?" she asked hesitantly, not quite daring to loop up. "I mean, thank you? I appreciate you trying to help, and I will talk to Zac, but, but he would never hurt me. He's my friend." She believed that too, thought it was hard for her to say something that she knew might not be taken well.

A part of her wanted to ask if they were friends too, but the idea fluttering in her stomach and was still too small for her to voice yet, so she just looked at her nails. "You are welcome to visit again, I mean, if you want to..." she finished, trailing off near the end and looking at her hands.

[Misato Hazukashi]

"That's perfect." Moe said, happy to have brighter light to see with.. The colour went on quick enough, or at least the first coat, and he lent back again to leave it to dry.

"I do." He said softly, flashing an honest smile up at Stella. "Next time I visit I'll bring a proper gift." He added, pondering what would be a suitable gift for the albino. Maybe something pretty and blue. "I hope he doesn't hurt you." Moe murmured, aware that Stella felt the same way about Zac as he did - that, as a friend, he wouldn't be mean.

"I would love to. I can bring cake." He said brightly, before applying the second coat of blue, till it was beautifully bright. "I'll try and give you more notice next time, too." He looked up with a nod, then began the glittering topcoat application, concentrating to make sure there were equal amounts of sparkle on each nail.