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Who: Natsuru (

thirdbeauty) and Hibiki (

secrowtary)
What: First meeting!
When: End of May/beginning of June
Where: Nuada Airgetlám temple
Summary: Some misunderstandings will happen. Maybe not just some...?

[Getting a hang on the topography of the area surrounding the temple is giving him a hard time, even though Hibiki's sense of direction usually didn't fail him. Or so he thought until now, at least. Maybe he was wrong all this time? Putting the area aside, the same thing can be said about the treehouse. He just hopes that the day when he finds his room without dropping by every other one on the same branch will come soon.

Today isn't that day, though.

Not expecting to find anybody here, he opens the trapdoor on the ceiling of Natsuru's room from the outside to have a look around.]

—!!!

[Hanging upside down from the ceiling, Hibiki doesn't even say anything at first, just opens his eyes wide in surprise, possibly making him look a bit scary.]

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[Maria had informed Natsuru that there would be another shinki staying at the temple, of course. It hasn't even been that long since Natsuru came to live here, and sharing a living space with a guy would shake things up even more. But she still has the privacy of her room, so it probably won't be a big deal.

She doesn't hear the trapdoor open, while she quietly sings one of the songs from her idol albums to herself. She's facing away from where Hibiki's poking his head in, with a towel wrapped around herself and brushing her hair. It takes only a few seconds for her to turn and catch a glimpse of something in her mirror while she starts to tie her hair up in her usual style.

Well, she only gets it half tied before she shrieks and whirls around, clutching the towel over her chest (and accidentally drawing more attention to her figure, whoops). The doors probably do lock, but she's still used to her old temple not allowing people to enter rooms without permission.]

Wh-... What are you looking at?!

[At least she's covered? But she definitely was not prepared for a(n upside-down?) stranger peeking in on her!]

[The situation looks pretty bad for him, undoubtedly. To think of it, he should have at least knocked or something, but it's too little, too late now. The least he can do is to cover his eyes with his one hand, muttering a response. His cheeks may as well be on fire, they're burning hot at this point. Not to mention their color, which would be crimson, no less.]

I'm not looking anywhere! I'm truly sorry for barging in like that...!

[Maybe the explanation that his Natsuru's neighbor can wait. No, it has to wait, actually.]

Excuse me!

[Naturally, the next step is to pull himself back up and close the trapdoor. Hibiki's so flustered that he finds himself unable to move and just stays there, breathing deeply. The plan is to give Natsuru a few minutes and then knock on the trapdoor (this time he's going to do it properly!!) asking for permission to come in.]

M-May I...?

[Well. Judging from his reaction, he wasn't intentionally peeping on her. She's still shaken, though, and rushes to lock the door behind him for that extra assurance that no one would barge in on her while she finishes fixing her hair and getting dressed.

She's in such a hurry to grab something to put on, she doesn't even take a minute to think about what to wear today. She just grabs her lilac sundress and throws it on. No makeup, no accessories, she doesn't even bother with shoes. This'll be fine for just generally existing around the temple. And it's on the modest side for her wardrobe - the hemline is even low enough to cover the name Hibiki might have caught a glimpse of on her thigh.

She jumps again when he knocks, and nervously twists her hands, wondering what to do. After a long moment, she steps over to unlock and open the door.]

It's... fine now.

[She's still nervous about letting someone she doesn't know into her room. Her body language is still a little awkward and standoffish, her arms folded under her chest while she takes a step back to give him room to enter. But she supposes if he really is Maria's other shinki, they'll have to get used to each other being around.]

[This is awkward, and it goes without saying. Which is one more reason for him to apologize properly and explain himself. That's why, once Hibiki's back inside, the very first thing he does is prostrating himself on the floor. This may make things even worse in terms of awkwardness, but there's no better way to apologize than that, in his opinion at least.]

First of all, I'd like to apologize for my interruption from before. It's entirely my fault for not making sure whether someone's inside. I ask your forgiveness.

[Still not looking up, Hibiki inhales some air, waiting for the answer and thinking whether he should reassure Natsuru once again that he hasn't seen anything. Well, it could make matters worse, so maybe it's better to remain quiet for now.]

H-Hey...

[She wasn't expecting him to go this far to apologize! It startles her right out of defensive mode, and she starts to look a little sympathetic.]

It's okay! Well, it's not okay, but... since you didn't do it on purpose...

[What an awkward sequence of events. She's not sure if she's more embarrassed about being peeped in on, or about his apology.]

[He's doing his best. Even if it means making things quite embarrassing for both of them. Hibiki doesn't move yet, remaining in the same position. Actually, he doesn't even try to peek up to see Natsuru's expression.]

I can assure you that I would never do such a thing, I'm not some kind of a voyeur. Other people's privacy is the most important thing, I believe.

[All of a sudden he raises his voice a bit and tries once again to make sure he's apology really gets through.]

Please forgive me!

I-It's fine! I forgive you!

Just... don't do it again.

[And she mentally reminds herself to lock her doors from now on.]

You are the other shinki, right? The one Maria-sama just named?

[Alright, he can stand up now, it seems. And make this less awkward for both of them as well.]

I'll be always sure to knock. [Possibly at the trapdoor for now, unless he finds how to get inside through door. Shouldn't take him too long, though.] And yes, that would be me. My name is Hibiki Kohaku, it's...

[It is nice to meet her, but can he really say that after what he did...]

I've heard about you from miss Maria, and I'm happy to make your acquaintance.

[She doesn't care which door, as long as it's a knock.]

Yeah... looks like we'll both be living here from now on.

[She offers him a reassuring smile, hoping they can both just forget about this little incident and move on.]

Oh, my name's Natsuru Senou. It's...

[Huh. It feels weird saying that specific phrase, for some reason. Time for her to dance around it.]

I'm glad to finally meet you too.

I'm sorry if this is sudden. [Ah, maybe it needs some further explanation after all.] Me moving in here, that is.

[Calm down, Hibiki...you don't have to refer to what happened every five seconds.]

I'm looking forward to working with you, miss Natsuru. Maybe we could get to know each other better over a cup of tea? If you're not busy right now, of course.

[Ah, referring to her so formally is a little much, isn't it? But... after everything that's happened, it's nice that he's being polite. She won't say anything about it for now.]

It is, a little bit. But it's okay. There's plenty of room in the temple.

[The offer makes her blush a little again, for much nicer reasons. Is he trying so hard to make up for what happened?]

Er, no, I'm not busy at all...

I'd like to assure you that I won't be a bother to you nor miss Maria.

[Hibiki's certain that's not what Natsuru meant, but he wouldn't be surprised if she was at least a little wary of him. It's not like he hasn't given her the reason...so if he can make up for it, he's definitely going to try.]

In that case, I shall prepare us some tea and snacks. Should I bring them here?

You don't have to do that...

[She automatically responds, but quickly realizes that he's probably doing his best. Maybe she should make a suggestion instead?]

Um, why don't we go get them together instead? We can talk in one of the common rooms.

[She's still settling in here herself, and isn't sure quite how to refer to various rooms in the temple yet.]

As you wish.

[Speaking of things done automatically, the bow that follows might be most certainly considered as one.]

Now to figure out how to get there. [This part is going to be a bit tricky, he believes.] We're certainly on the bedroom side of the tree, so we should try to find the trunk and then go up...no, down...

[Not just a bit tricky, maybe...]

[Oh, dear. He really is new.

Natsuru sighs softly, shaking her head, then looks up and holds out her hand to Hibiki.]

Here. I'll show you the way.

[Yes, she does intend to lead him by the hand. It's really not that complicated, once you're used to the layout of the temple.]

[The meaning behind her gesture and words is pretty clear and yet, Hibiki takes a while to properly respond.]

I-I know where it is, just...

[Despite what he has just said, Hibiki takes her hand, his gaze fixed on his shoes.]

Please do. I'm sorry for all the trouble.

Don't worry about it.

[Who knew when he dropped in on her unannounced like he did that he'd end up tripping her gentler big sister instincts?]

There's bridges connecting all the platforms, so it's really simple once you get used to it.

[And sure enough, they find their way over to the more common areas fairly easily! Though they might still have to climb some ladders to get to where they're going. She'll let go of his hand for that. (And make sure he's the one above her if they do climb any ladders. Since she's wearing a dress, and all...)]

[That's why he excused himself and went first, instead of insisting of letting her. He's not making anymore mistakes today, it seems.]

I'll do my best.

[Thankfully, even if he gets lost again, climbing the ladders and jumping on the platforms shouldn't be a problem. And with Natsuru's guidance, they arrive at the kitchen rather sooner than later.]

I don't think I've asked you before, so...do you have any special requests?

Not really. Whatever you like is fine.

[She pauses, but then decides to explain. They're going to be living together, after all, so they should probably get to know each other better.]

I mean, I've always been okay with trying things! ... I think.

[Ah, the uncertainty of being a shinki.]

[Natsuru's "I think" brings a soft smile to his face. He has already lost count how many times he added that himself.]

What about dango, then? Have you eaten it?

[Hibiki himself had the opportunity to try them at the banquet sometime ago and he's been thinking about making them or quite a while, to be honest.]

Would it be too rude to ask how long have you been a shinki?

[It sort of feels like asking for her age, which may be considered impolite for some...but he takes the risk this time.]

Sure! I think I might have made it before, too.

[She can't say for sure, of course. Shinki life. But it seems that what memories she does have involves how to make dango, among various other things.]

Ah... not long, really. It's only been about a month.

[She didn't mind being asked, though.]

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