Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup

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School had started for Hammel, though it hadn't yet for the University yet, thus leaving Aerina still with lots of time left to do....something. Get to know people, perhaps? Looking at her class schedule, Aerina decided that she'd do well enough taking all her classes and being involved in a couple clubs as well. Because Aerina loved being involved. Cheerleading and Dance Team and Swimming seemed to fit the bill. She wasn't terribly athletic, not like some of the more hardcore dancers, swimmers, and cheerleaders, but she did well enough to go at her own pace. As small as she was, she'd joke, her pace was pretty slow.

She'd gotten to know a number of people so far, but Aerina was still at the point where she felt like she was only beginning to get to know them. The girl wanted to be close friends, but she had to accept the fact that these things didn't happen quickly. It was a process of meeting, and talking, and meeting again over and over, and eventually a foundation of trust was built. She was trying to do that with a few people - her roommates, Cori, that pretty girl Kimi - but as she feared, time didn't always allow her that luxury.

Speaking of Kimi, was that her over in the corner of the cafeteria? Aerina had just shuffled her way through the line of the lunchroom, trying not to get trampled by the crowd of hungry teenagers, and was searching for a spot to sit when she spotted the shy girl. Her smile beamed from ear to ear, pleased that she'd found a familiar face with whom she could enjoy her lunch with. Aerina took no hesitation in trotting over to the lunch-table and calling out to the pretty Japanese girl.

"Kimi~" she called upon approach, her curly hair bouncing about behind her. Rina's eyes darted between Kimi and another girl who was sitting with her. "Hi~ I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, but would you mind if I joined you two?" The apology was directed mostly at the girl she didn't know yet. She was pretty too, now that she got a better look. "Kimi!" she said, affectionately taking the seat next to her. "Why don't you introduce us?" She was trying her best to be as friendly and as pleasant as possible, though hopefully she wasn't coming on too strong.

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Bunny was more outgoing than Kimi, but not as outgoing as the girl she was about to meet. It wasn’t uncommon, then, for her to be the one holding most of the conversation when she was with her Japanese friend, chattering on about cute boy this and makeup that and encouraging Kimi to share her opinions about such things. She was fortunate to have a friend that would put up with her slightly obsessive interests, and appreciated Kimi immensely for spending time with her.

She was nibbling on a roll of bread and just about to bite into her lunch of spaghetti and salad, talking excitedly about her most recent date with Jackson, when she heard someone call out her friend’s name. Bunny blinked and looked up for the source of the voice. Whoever it was, the young girl didn’t recognize her, which meant this was a chance to make a new friend!

Bunny smiled when the girl kept talking, and apologized for interrupting her chatter. “It’s okay!” she chirped, waving a hand. “You didn’t interrupt, I was just blabbing on like usual! Please join us!” How exciting! Meeting someone new, and a sweet-looking girl at that! Bun giggled and looked between her friend and the stranger as the other girl sat, waiting for Kimi to introduce her. Once that was done, however, the easily distracted teen caught sight of a familiar sight walking behind Kimi. “Ohmygosh, Kimi, look!” she squeed quietly, pointing over her shoulder. “It’s Jiyong-oppa!” It didn’t look like he had seen them, since he was talking with some other guy. Bunny sighed dreamily and rested her chin on her palm. “You need to spend more time with him,” she gushed. “He’s so dreamy.” Bunny glanced over at Aerina. “You don’t happen to know him, do you?” she asked curiously.

[Kimi Tachibana]

Kimi was a listener more than a talker. She didn't mind being so quiet, because the more she heard English, the better she would understand it. Sometimes, yes, she did get a little stuck, or words would be coming at her too fast for her to process, but she had notice a decrease in such problems, and she hoped the number would continue to lower and lower. She would occasionally say something when there was a rare pause, an opinion or a question or an agreement, and then Bunny would go on, and she was honestly fine with that. These kinds of conversations were fun. And Jackson seemed nice, she was glad that Bunny was so infatuated (although she half expected her to move on after a while, but she couldn't be sure, maybe it was different this time...?).

She perked up at the sound of her name, looking towards the source - Aerina, if she remembered correctly. She opened her mouth to quietly respond, but Bunny did it for her, and she closed her mouth as it turned up into a gentle smile. Of course, they were both chatty and sociable, so she just nodded and moved along a little to make room for her other friend. At the question, Kimi blinked a little, "Oh, um..." She starting softly, "Rina, this is Bunny. Bunny... Rina. You are both similar, you will like each other a lot." She grinned gently, before nibbling on her own food as Bunny spoke again. Her eyes widened slightly, but she forced herself not to turn invisible from the shock, even if it was a struggle. She didn't look, "He was nice, but... no...." She couldn't just go and spend more time with him, she... he was unattainable anyway! Out of her league. He was too nice and cute and she was too... timid. Mmmm. And she had work to do. Distractions wouldn't help. She was intrigued to know if Rina knew him, though, and looked in her direction as she ate, only giving herself a second (...maybe about ten seconds) to turn her head enough to spot Jiyong and see what he was doing. If only she was bold enough...

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“Thank you so much!” she exclaimed with a bright smile. “I didn’t want to be an imposition.” She was glad they were kind enough to let her joing them. Perhaps Aerina was coming off a little strong, but if she was, then she didn’t notice and level of discomfort between the two other girls. No, all she saw was another girl who was as bright and chatty as she was, and the reserved Kimi with the gentle, welcoming smile. Was this an opportunity for her to make a new friend? Or to get closer to her already friend? Aerina certainly hoped so!

“Bunny?” she repeated the name with a slight cock of her head. How unusual, Aerina wondered if that was her real name or if it was short for something? She smiled at Kimi’s comment. “Oh, I’m glad you think so, Kimi. I hope we do.” Actually, Rina liked Bunny quite a bit already. She seemed like a person she could quickly bounce conversation off of, and that was just as fun as having someone who would indulge in her rambling without complaint. Kimi was so sweet. Bunny seemed sweet too.

Then they started talking about something she didn’t know about, specifically the boy who’d just passed by their table. Did she know him? “Um…no,” she said in a slightly hushed voice, as if he might hear them if she wasn’t careful. “I think he’s in one of my classes, but I haven’t talked to him.” He was an adorable little button, though not quite Rina’s type. Aerina liked them more….older? Manly? And either way, Aerina didn’t have time for boys, she needed to concentrate on her studies! Rina turned to Kimi. “Are you interested in him?” she asked the shy girl, digging a fork into her meal idly.