334/2 Cute 4 U

2 Cute 4 U
Date of Scene:	31 August 2023
Location:	Radiant Heart Academy
Synopsis:	Double Trouble and Hotaru meet.
Cast of Characters:	Double Trouble, Hotaru Tomoe

---

Double Trouble has posed:
She's all moved in and classes don't start until next week, which means Dianora Lagorio is out exploring. As anyone who has put on a complicated production knows, blocking is important. This is going to be the performance of a lifetime, she needs to know the stage. Besides, the more people she studies, the more people she can _be_, and that's worth the effort all on its own. Every stroll she takes around campus is adding to the magnificence of the future chaos she will create.

Today, right now, she's walking along the tree-lined path that leads from the residence halls toward the library. She's wearing a pink dress with pink and white mary-janes and a pink headband with a pink bow holding back her inky black hair. As she walks along, she's looking all around, seemingly curious about everything.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe was, well, enjoying the garden. It was so nice, beautiful and peaceful. They did so much work on it, with so many beautiful flowers that broguht students peace and calm. It was... well. Relaxing. A good place to visit when one wanted to be somewhere soothing. When home felt... cold, this was where she found herself heading more and more.

However, she tried her hardest not to get in the way of others, so when she heard someone coming she couldn't help but look up. Her eyes went slightly wide when she saw the girl. Another classmate? And she looked positively precious in her little pink dress and the little pink bow. Oh, she should absolutely introduce her to Himeko. But... better than that? She looked about her age. And she didn't recognize her, so yay! A fellow classmate who didn't yet know she was weird! "Hello," Hotaru said with a gentle smile. While the other girl was wearing pink and white, Hotaru... was... wearing almost all dark colors. A black skirt with black leggings, a dark purple sweater(wasn't it too hot for that?) and even her little beanie, while not black, was a dark red.

Double Trouble has posed:
Dianora noticed Hotaru before the other girl noticed her, but she kept on dreamily looking around, and when Hotaru said hello, she jumped just a little, looking startled. "Oh!" She gasped as her hands reflexively retracted, arms bending at the elbows, her bright green eyes fixated on the smol goth before her. Then she visibly relaxes but then also immediately looks anywhere but directly at Hotaru.

"Oh, hello. I'm sorry if I was bothering you," she says, meekly, her voice barely above a whisper.

There's a pause and then she looks up at Hotaru for a moment, but then her eyes divert once again before she speaks, "I'm, um, Dianora. Dianora Lagorio."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe felt a little red in her cheeks when she startled the other girl. Oh dear. She hoped that wasn't too much...

But then Dianora asked if she was being a bother. Hotaru's eyes widened and she shook her head. "No! Not at all! I ummm, was just admiring the flowers. Are... you a new transfer student?" she asked. Dianora Lagorio. "That's a... that's a really pretty name. I'm Hotaru Tomoe, grade 7. I ummm, I was just admiring them. Which... I guess I already said..."

She wasn't exactly the most anti-wallflower girl around either. But she was getting a LITTLE better about it. Likely because she actually HAD friends now.

Double Trouble has posed:
Dianora's eyebrows arch and her impossibly green eyes brighten just a little. She even maintains eye contact while saying, "Oh! I'm in grade 7, too!" Her excitement raising her volume to definitely more than a whisper, but still rather quiet. Then she immediately looks away, down. She nods, and murmurs, "Yes. Yes, I just moved here from Italy." Her Japanese is rather good for somebody who just moved here from Italy. Though maybe that does explain the odd accent. Quiet and meek as she is, she never _mumbles_. She has excellent diction.

She turns then to focus on the flowers and smiles. "They are rather pretty. Which one is your favorite?"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe couldn't help but feel a small rush of excitement. YES! She was right, the girl WAS her age! Even better, she was in her grade! And new, so didn't know that Hotaru was weird!

She'd, admittedly, be more confused by how good the girl's japanese was... if not for the fact EVERY exchange student at RHA seemed to have perfect japanese. Well, RHA did boast about its amazing japanese teaching abilities, after all.

"Italy? Oh, that sounds so wonderful! Are you enjoying the new surroundings?" she asked, smiling at the girl before glancing towards the flowers.

She motioned towards some small, poofy ones. "I know they aren't fully red yet, but I love the kochia. They're so fluffy, soft and ticklish. Even if they don't really have much of a smell. What's your favorite?" she asked.

Double Trouble has posed:
"Oh I love tulips, and carnations, and roses," Dianora says, just off the cuff, like of course she knows her favorite flowers. Of course they're all kinds that come in pink. She seems more animated, and less shy than before. "But, my _favorite_ is the poppy."

She looks up at Hotaru with the saddest eyes, she starts to solemnly recite a poem. _The_ poem. The only poem it could be in that moment.

    In Flanders fields the poppies blow
    Between the crosses, row on row,
    That mark our place; and in the sky
    The larks, still bravely singing, fly
    Scarce heard amid the guns below

Dianora dramatically casts her eyes away, toward the garden, and continues to recite, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

    We are the dead. Short days ago
    We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
    Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
    In Flanders fields.

Then she turns once again toward, Hotaru, as the poem shifts into it's call for action as one lone tear trickles down her cheek.

    Take up your quarrel with the foe:
    To you from failing hands we throw
    The torch; be yours to hold it high.
    If ye break faith with us who die
    We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
    In Flanders field.

She just stands there for a moment, looking said, and then bounces back. "I love that poem! It's one of my favorites."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe blinked a few times. Her favorite... was the poppy? Well, they were pretty. But she wouldn't have expected such a grim flower to... Oh... Oh. It was beautiful. It was heart wrenching, it was moving, it was sad. It spoke of terrible things, of fights, of battle. Of a will to not give in. To not surrender. And it almost brought a tear to her eyes. When she finally finished, Hotaru couldn't help it.

She applauded. "Bravo! You were positively amazing! In Flander's Field by John McCrae, I've never heard anyone recite it purely by memory before!" That, at least, cemented it in Hotaru's eyes. She was absolutely taken aback by this spectacular girl. "Do you like poetry?" It wasn't often she met someone else who shared one of her strange little enjoyments. And her excitement was, well... pretty noticeable.

Primarily because she was lightly bouncing a little, hands in front of her, held together, rocking back and forth with a cute little grin on her face. Genuinely moved by the other girl's empassioned performance! ... Completely unaware just how much of a 'performance' it was.

Double Trouble has posed:
Dianora beams. Oh she _loves_ that applause. Yes, she does. "Thank you, thank you," she says, and then bows, and then rises up.

"Yes, I love poetry," she says with a smile. She seems more comfortable now, although she's definitely still sounding rather meek and timid. But then, as she goes on, she starts sounding more confident, more dramatic, "I love poetry the same way a musician loves music. I'm a _thespian_, Hotaru-chan, of course I love poetry."

She bounces on her toes. "I'm really looking forward to _drama club_."

Then she turns her attention back toward Hotaru. She seems to have less trouble making direct eye contact now. "What about you? What's your favorite poem?"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe gave a small nod. "Ohhhh. The drama club? That explains so much. You're going to do amazing! I'd love to see if you perform in any of the plays," she said with a happy grin. On top of that, she couldn't help but be impressed the other girl even KNEW what a thespian was! "You're amazing," she whispered.

However, the question on her favorite poem brought more red to her cheeks. "I... know it's silly... but ummm... w-well, you shared yours..."

    "Dewdrop trembled on an aspen leaf.
    Above, a nightingale.
    Sent through the dark his first low note of grief,
    Across the shadowy vale.
    And as that note throbbed on the sentient air,
    Wrung from a heart forlorn,
    The dewdrop slipped into the dusk, and there
    A firefly was born."

Hotaru's favorite play was... about... a firefly. "My... ummm... my mom used to read it to me when I was a kid before she uhhh... passed... on..." she said. Wow. Way to kill the mood... This is why she didn't have any friends.

Double Trouble has posed:
"You think so?" Dianora asks, sounding very convincingly uncertain. But of course, she knows she'll do amazing. This Hotaru Tomoe clearly knows talent when she sees it. She looks down toward the ground then and scuffs her foot. "I'm nervous about it. But I've been nervous about this whole thing. It's all been a lot of change."

But then Hotaru is reciting her poem. Dianora watches the dark-haired girl's performance closely, and her eyes get so big as she finds the poem increasingly precious. Then immediately they look sad upon that addition about Hotaru's mother. "Oh, Hotaru-chan, I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm glad you have that little piece of her to hold on to."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe gave the other girl a small, comforting look. "I... I know it can be scary. But I'm sure you'll do wonderfully. And just know I'm cheering you on the whole time. I think you'll be positively spectacular. If there's one thing I've learned in the last year, it's that no matter how scary change can be, it just means things can be that much better."

"T-thank you," she said, wiping a small tear from her eyes at the kind words. It... wasn't a poem she shared often. But it was nice to share the source with someone else. This other girl was just... something special. Kind, sweet, gentle, a lover of poetry. She hoped they'd be in the same class together.

"If you'd like, I could introduce you to some of my friends sometime. Though, ummm, most of them are... a few years older than us."

Double Trouble has posed:
Score! This is exactly what Dianora wanted, what _Double Trouble_ wanted, and that was to meet more students. It is impossible for her to contain her excitement so she simply does not. "Really?! Oh, Hotaru-chan!" She takes a step closer and throws her arms around the girl who is just as short as her, squeezing her in a hug. "That would be wonderful!"

She lets go and takes a step back and bounces on her toes again. "I'm so glad I decided to walk this way today! First I convinced the administrators to put me and onee-chan together in a suite, and now I've met _you_. Everything is turning up Dianora. I think I'll be alright here." She lets out a deep sigh, breath she didn't realize she was holding, and smiles.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe gasped when the other girl hugged her. "C-careful!" she said quickly. She tried to make sure she didn't touch the other girl directly, but with her so close it was hard not to. Dia might notice that, despite the heat and sweater, Hotaru's arms and hands were very, very cold. And she was trying to make sure they didn't touch the other girl.

Still, after a moment, the hug ended and she relaxed. "Oh? You're here with your sister? That's wonderful! I'm very happy we met as well, Lagorio-chan." She then gulped and... "You... you can call me Hotaru, if you like." And that, right there? She stole that out of Usagi's playbook. After all, that girl was so warm and inviting, surely it would be okay? And this girl was wonderful! "Oh, you will love Usagi-chan. And Takashi-senpai! They're both really smart and sweet!"

Takashi would have likely felt rage if he heard her lumping him in with Usagi.

Double Trouble has posed:
Dianora definitely noticed the cold. Deep down inside, she's a reptile and cold things are her nemesis. Except Hotaru. Hotaru is her new _bestie_, so she can't be her nemesis. Not until the inevitable betrayal, at least. They had plenty of time for this to be adorable and cute.

Speaking of adorable and cute, Dianora gets a sheepish expression when Hotaru gives her permission to use her first name. "Oh! I'm sorry! Thank you, Hotaru-chan. You're so sweet. You can call me Dianora, if you'd like." She beams. "I can't wait to meet your friends!"

She looks around for a moment, then, and looks back to Hotaru. "Do you have any _other_ favorite places on campus?"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe couldn't help but smile at the other girl. "It's okay, Dianora-chan. I uhhh... I just have cold hands due to... blood flow. I didn't want to hurt you." Cause... cold hands. "I can't wait for them to meet you, either. As for favorite places... well... honestly... not really. But... you're new, right? So why don't I show you around? I've been coming to this school for a long time, so I know where everything is." She'd then start to walk away, motioning for the other girl to follow her...

Didn't offer her hand, though. For the same, prior reason. Still, she seemed... warm. In comparison to her hands. An even better, she made a new friend! Who knew? Maybe this one would never betray her or nudge her towards the dark side.