20/What. Did. You. Do.

What. Did. You. Do.
Date of Scene:	02 July 2023
Location:	Dorms
Synopsis:	Koji confronts Darien over certain nefarious acts he's been guilty of perpetrating recently. Follows 5/You Were Not Refreshing and 11/Loose Ends on Weekends.
Cast of Characters:	Mamoru Chiba, Koji Silvia

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Mamoru Chiba has posed:
It's late. Later than Darien usually comes back from his afternoon job, actually, but not late enough that he's coming in through the window-- before curfew, but only just.

There's a bit of a smell of soap and smoke that comes in with him -- not cigarette smoke, just 'things were burning' smoke -- and he comes in quietly and closes the door quietly. "Sorry," he says a little somberly as he aims for his dresser.

At least his suit is clean, even if the tie's untied and the collar is open. His glasses are smudgey.

Koji Silvia has posed:
At his desk and in the middle of reading an e-mail when Darien comes into the room like that, Koji's nose wrinkles at the scent of the smoke. He doesn't look for a bit, but eventually, that awkwardness sort of builds too close to tension, and he closes down his school laptop.

Turning in the spinny chair provided for the desk on his side of the room, the longer-haired boy looks up at his roommate and schoolmate, saying in a bit of a flat tone, "So... Darien... you want to tell me why you stole some girl's ice cream?."

Koji leans himself forward and rests his elbows on his knees, "You might recognize her... blonde hair with little buns in her hair, ribbon tails... very vivid blue eyes... more than kind of mad at you? Ring any bells?"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Darien is, in fact, getting stuff out of his dresser to take a shower. PJs, a towel, et cetera. He straightens up and blinks back at Koji. "Because it was-- I mean, I know who and what you're talking about, yeah." He looks at his towel, holding it in both hands, then looks up again and sighs. "It was... Dippin' Dots? She was already mad at me, anyway."

Koji Silvia has posed:
Standing up from his spot, Koji spins his chair abck into place, and then moves to lean against the wall near the door, hands in the pockets of his uniform pants, and then puts one socked foot against it. Tilting his head to one side, there's a bit of a sigh from him as he asks, "You want to tell me how it all happened. I don't mean the Dippin Dots. That's just a crime against science... but there has to be a reason why this happened. That isn't like you. Not the you that I've known for the last year."

That awkward pause comes back, and he then lowers his eyes, and takes off his glasses, "She seems like a really nice girl, to be honest. We talked for a bit, and for once, I didn't feel like I was handling one of those girls who just want to get on your arm. That's something."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"She *is* a really nice girl," Darien agrees, abruptly earnest. "Just telling her to look back at what was happening to her friends -- it changed her face. She really cares! She didn't hesitate for a second before going back to try and help, no matter how mad she was at me. She's so honest!"

This doesn't sound like Darien, either, to be completely clear -- he's never sounded or looked like this about anyone before.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Putting his hand on the door to deliberately block the exit.

"Unless you want to jump out the window. What. Did. You. Do."

Carefully enunciating, this is not the Koji that most of the world gets. This is Koji the Dad-Wrangler.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Kojikun. She wasn't paying attention," Darien says, dropping his towel and pajamas on the bed. He turns back around and crosses his arms, starting to look aggrieved. Or maybe irritated. Probably more aggrieved, though. "People were eating the ice cream," he adds slowly, pointedly, "and passing out, so I stole hers and licked it so she wouldn't try and take it back."

He makes a face, remembering. "It tasted like freezerburn. That stuff is so bad."

Koji Silvia has posed:
Tapping the middle of his forehead with one finger, Koji seems to be pondering the next step. Occasionally his eyes flick to Darien and then back, and he even chews on the inside of his cheek for a moment.

Again, he seems to be caught in this dilemma, "First off, if you're seeing something like that, you should be going to get a policeperson. Not trying to save people. Stuff like that can be dangerous, and no one really knows what's happening. It could have been poison, and then where would you be? In the hospital, and not just here smelling like you were at a beach bonfire."

Under his breath, he mutters, "What am I doing..." But finally the glasses come on.

"Her name is Usagi Tsukino. She just started here a week before the summer break and is in the remedial program, and is rooming in the girls' dorm building with her friend Naru. She loves snacks, so bring something with you. Cookies, maybe a cake pop. Also... she doesn't LIKE formal names, so if she introduces herself properly, call her Usagi-chan, or Usa-chan."

Finally he steps away from the door, moving to the edge of his bed, "And I better hear that you apologized to her."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"I can't call her that without her saying for me to!" protests Darien, honestly dismayed for the first time.

He just. Skips all of the rest of the lecture. He knows what he was doing, and Koji doesn't, and he would rather Koji didn't, so he takes it as his due and honestly kind of squirms uncomfortably. First he gets yelled at for tanking a finisher for a nine-year-old, then he gets yelled at for not telling the police about his own plan-- truly, his life is annoying.

Oh and he got accused of having a death wish.

Truly, his life is *annoying*.

"I was going to find her and at least pay her back the price of the ice cream," he says sullenly, and takes off his glasses to clean them. But then he brightens. "Do you think she might want help studying? I told her to do her best when she threw her test at my head, but I didn't know she was really having trouble."

Koji Silvia has posed:
Laying back on the bed, Koji stares up at the ceiling for a moment, "People like her... they're quick to anger, and quick to apologize. They'll remember the stuff you did though, and not let you get away with it... she a lot like my dad, and I think you remember the Phone."

Puffing out a breath, he sits back up, and tilts his head once more, locks of ebony hair obscuring one eye, "Here's what you do. Take her to the Midori Ya cafe. With her friend Naru if possible. If not, at least one other female friend of hers. But she needs to have someone there so it doesn't feel like a date. Then... you offer to get her and her friend whatever they want. Once that is done, you ASK if you can sit with them."

His expression is once again in Dad-Wrangler mode. The 'is that clear?' expression.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Darien hesitates.

"That seems really complicated," he says worriedly, lacing his fingers together and then gently cracking his knuckles. "That's. A lot of things to remember. Can't I just say sorry and pay her back?" Is that hope, desperation, or resignation?

He takes a little breath, then frowns. "It also seems harder to remember things when she's around, too. Which is weird, but there's not enough of a sample size to really see any kind of pattern in presence versus memory--"

Koji Silvia has posed:
Pushing up off his bed, Koji goes to where his books are kept in a bin hidden under his desk.

Dragging it out, he unfolds the top and starts rifling around in it until he comes up with a very VERY girly manga. It has a picture of a hot guy with blue hair in a standard japanese high school uniform staring dreamily out the window of his class while sitting on the window-ledge. The cover art presents in pink Kanji along the side 'The Prince of Highschool Vol. 7'.

It's tossed on Darien's bed, "Research material."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Darien watches Koji dig for a second, then doesn't know how long he'll take, so opens another drawer and takes out his toothbrush-etcetera bag-- and that's when the manga sails across the room like a really slow frisbee and lands on his bed.

Hematite, strongest of the Shitennou, looks at the manga on his dorm room bed.

"Okay," he says seriously, glancing up at Koji again as he picks his towel and PJs back up and starts to edge back toward the door that Koji's abandoned. "So, I should start with blue hair, I see. I'll have to check whether it's within dress code at work."

The corner of his mouth is twitching and he already has a hand on the doorknob.

Koji Silvia has posed:
In a deadpan back at Darien, he retorts, "Darien-san... if you upset the careful balance of this school by showing up to class with blue hair, I will not be responsible for the fallout. Zero... because there will be war."

Sitting back down in his spinny chair, he adds, "Those Dippin Dots probably did something to your brain chemistry. Next thing you know you'll be telling me you've got a secret double life."

Says the Pot to the Kettle.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Yeah, I'm Batman," says Darien with a sudden bright grin. "Thanks, though. I'll do my best. And read your research material."

And probably do it wrong anyway.

His expression gets softer, a little smile this time, the one that isn't a mask at all. "Really, thank you. It'd be nice if she weren't mad at me. I really appreciate the help."

He slips out the door before the too real can continue too long, and it closes quietly behind him.