Why Hello Neighbor - Katsumi and Asuka Wakahisa

[CyanDimitrik]

The brush-off of her hands isn't met with resistance. Katsumi's paws release Asuka's hoodie, and find nesting within the pouches of her own nyancat-embossed garment. If Katsumi thought at all that a girl wearing an Internet meme Pop-Tart cat about to throw down was odd, it never registers on her face. All Asuka gets at first is a quiet, soothing sigh.

As Asuka continues, Katsumi gives her an increasingly dubious look; one eye widened while the other narrowed a little. And when all is said and finished, she raises her left hand, palm out. "Alright, alright, you don't have to get weird with me." The hand lowers, and Katsumi's slender shoulders hunch forward, her gaze averting to the side guiltily. "Look, uh... sorry. I'm really protective of some things, and the car's one of'em. Sounds like you were trying to do me a solid, so..."

She peeks her eyes back at the other girl. "..my bad." Apologies don't come natural to Katsumi, and there was something a little odd about the way Asuka was talking to her a moment ago, but she didn't really cross her. Sure, half the things she says to people are uncalled-for, rude, or otherwise demeaning, but she says them with a clear head and deliberate intention. She was about to wail on a girl under very false pretenses! There are lines separating these two, and though it may not make sense to everyone, it makes a world of difference for her.

"Oshiro Katsumi. Just literally moved in." As the small mountain of belongings still sitting on the stairs will attest.

[Lark]

Asuka took a measured step back from Katsumi not to distance herself from the girl for a sensible reason, like avoiding any future attempts at violence. No, she did so to class her hands in front of herself, and bow politely to the woman in a sincere greeting. "It's nice to meet you Ms. Oshiro. It's alright, water under the bridge." She had a bright infectious smile, seemingly actually treating this as a blank slate.

"Welcome to our humble apartment complex." Humble was putting it mildly. There were sardine cans with more space than the individual apartments. With a bit of a creative mind though, you could squeeze a lot of value from the limited room. Though most were content to pile their things up and not worry about it. She glanced to the way of the stuff Katsumi had been carrying, nodding slowly. Tucking a hand up under her own hoodie, she blindly fumbled at her iPod to pause the audio.

"Looks like you could use some help. Lucky for you, I am very experienced with getting things up and down those stairs. So much so I should put it on my resume." She gave a first nod, pumping her fist with a determined look on her face. "With two people, this will almost be too easy!" Was any moving challenge a worthy foe for Asuka? Not out of the items crammed in the other girl's car. If she had some larger furniture they may have been cause for alarm.

"So what do you say, no more kitten around, let's get you moved in before dark." She held up her hands, bordering her face on either side with the cat faced mitten covered. God she was a dork, but was so genuine it came across as endearing.

[CyanDimitrik]

"Yeah. And a brick between two slices of bread is a humble breakfast," comments Katsumi. Humble is, indeed, putting it mildly. It qualifies more as a closet than a dwelling, by her standard of living. But she doesn't have enough time to be picky and go apartment hunting before her debut. She needs to be focused on that.

Asuka puts cat-motifs up to her face following a terribly cheesy pun, and Katsumi blinks at her. Then a second time. A slightly-fanged grin cracks at the corners of her lips. What follows is a peal of cheerful giggles! "Oh my god, you're such a dork!," she blurts. Yes, Asuka's antics are endearing. She's been pretty uncertain of her so far, having encountered more than enough people who are polite and welcoming on the surface, but only so far as it suits them or they have to be. Katsumi's not so used to people making a spectacle of themselves just to win her approval, so this strikes her as reasonably genuine behavior.

It helps that Asuka's a girl. Guys have done crazy things to get her approval. Especially while she's in the ring. Marriage proposals via poster boards don't count, boys.

"You help me with some of this, I feed you," Katsumi offers as she turns to the large pile on the steps. She takes up half of it, leaving the other half for the new acquaintance. "How's that sound?" One foot places on the first step, and she pauses to look back in Asuka's direction.

[Lark]

Her grin only widens, wigging her kitten mittens at the encouraging tone. She didn't take it as an insult, but a mark of pride. The term didn't really have any negative bite to it, not right now. Had she been simply called a dork earlier without this context, she likely wouldn't have been as pleased with herself. She was an entertainer though and through. Seeking the approval of people came with the territory for her.

Asuka's eyes light up at the proposed offer. She had intended to offer her services free of charge. The fact she was going to also get a free meal out of the deal? That made her ecstatic. "That sounds pre-" She froze immediately, her stomach having been tempted by the mere thought of food grumbled loudly. She clapped her hands over it as if to silence it's whining. Sorry! I uh... Think that roughly translates into "yes, that sounds good"."

Trotting up to her end of the pile, she crouched down, getting a look look at how to best tackle the job. After a small bit of efficient rearranging she was good to go. She practiced safe lifting techniques when it came to things like this. She was going dropped, bent, hit, and stretched enough for work. She didn't need to throw her back out being a good samaritan. If she hadn't just come.back from a run, she likely would have taken a good five minutes to limber up too.

She hoisted up Katsumi's things, back straight, arms close. She half turned to look towards her new acquaintance, nodding. "Lead on, to the promised lands Ms. Oshiro." She smiled brightly. Did this girl have an off switch? Probably not.

[CyanDimitrik]

The sound of Asuka's stomach rumblings gives Katsumi pause. Her eyes slowly lower to the girl's covered midsection, then back up to her face, affecting the most judgmental raise of her eyebrows as she can muster. No, she's not actually judging her over that - that would be ridiculous. But it obviously embarrassed Asuka, therefore it needed to be highlighted and emphasized. The fact that she says nothing to accompany the look probably makes it all worse.

Bundles gathered into much more manageable heaps, Katsumi notices Asuka's deliberate approach to physical exertion. "Weekend warrior, huh?," she chides lightly as she begins the trek up the stairwell. "And just call me Katsumi! 'Ms. Oshiro' is what people call me when they want something."

As they reach the top of the steps, Katsumi takes the lead. Thankfully her door is only the second in the line, and was left slightly ajar with the expectation that her arms would be full. She breezes past the first room into the more spacious - generously speaking, of course - living area. It already has a futon, chair, and television set pre-equipped. Katsumi crouches to set her bundle down in a neat pile in the corner, conscious of the amount of room she ultimately has to work with.

Backing up, she motions along, "Just set it there."

[Lark]

Asuka's own humor at her expense deadened the blow Katsumi's look gave her. Without it, she would have withered in embarrassment over the unintentionally outburst. Having claimed over ship over it, all Katsumi got out of her was another big dumb grin and a soft apology again, just in case she had been offended.

Hoisting the load up, she carries Katsumi's belongings with the utmost care, being mindful of every step she took to avoid disaster. Unfamiliar with the phase she was being labeled as, she chirped cheerfully as she adjusted the load in her hand. "Full time warrior actually, I am always working on something." She was grinning again behind all those items, walking sideways to keep track of where everything was. "Katsumi it is. No fun nicknames?"

She follows behind Katsumi, curiously glancing around. She almost bumped into the other girl, distracted. "Hmm." With a small nod she follows her inside. She paused at the entry lip waiting for instruction. Seeing Katsumi didn't remove her shoes or request she didn't, she followed behind to place the goods where she had been asked to.

"I guess you do have a nickname, Neighbor! Like my actual neighbor.
I mean you were technically going to be a neighbor regardless, but not a nextdoor neighbor... This is exciting! She pat off her hands, standing tall and proud as she grinned at Katsumi. "I am one door down the hall. Who would have thought right? This feels like fate." Written in the stars? She would save the space puns for the ring.

[CyanDimitrik]

"Well, I was called the Punk Princess for a while," comments Katsumi with a cagey smile meant more for herself than anyone. She'll be getting that moniker again. She doesn't offer further explanation on why people called her that - it could be fun if that moniker somehow reached Asuka, and that be how she found out her neighbor's a star professional wrestler!

Yeah. That'd be cool.

Kat's smiling distractedly when Asuka mentions the 'neighbor' nickname, snapping her out of it. She looks back to the other girl and raises a hand, passively waving. "Yeah, sure! Whatever, right?" She seems awfully happy to have Katsumi, the girl who nearly slugged her not five minutes ago, as her neighbor. Could she really be this sugary-sweet? Katsumi's smile takes on a warmer tone, and she reaches out to loop an arm around Asuka's shoulders. "C'mon. One more trip should clear it all out, neighbor."

Emphasis on the word.

No, she didn't remove her shoes before entering. She's a terrible home-owner. But also, she's having to run back and forth to her car with bundles of luggage. Screw that. She can be traditional afterwards. She'll lead Asuka back outside without bothering to shut the door behind her, and should her arm still be around Asuka at this point, it will now withdraw. The trip back down the flight of steps would be a lively one; more a jaunt, really. And along the way, she'll fish out her keys to hit the remote and pop the trunk of the car for easier access.

[Lark]

"Oh, wow. I've never met royalty before." She gave Katsumi a polite curtsey, likely one of the only times she had ever made use of that at all. "Princess." She didn't appear to be familiar with Katsumi's past work, which was a mixed bag.she was smiling all the while, even when Katsumi threw an arm around her. She didn't protest, but blinked a bit. Her new friend seemed to perk up pretty quickly in the short amount of time between the car and the apartment.

"You got it, neighbor." Was this their thing now? She wasn't sure. She went along with Kasumi side by side. Was she supposed to let go at some point or.... Asuka did her best to try and pull the door closed enough to make it appear shut as they passed by, but was more or less being dragged along.

Katsumi seemed to be pretty appreciative, a bounce in her step, far more up beat. It made Asuka happy. Paying forward good vibes was great. Hopefully Katsumi would do the same with someone else soon. "Does it have a name?" She nodded to the car as they come up on it. While she never owned a car herself, she was familiar with how people with fancy things would sometimes assign genders to them or even name them as if they were people. It would seem weirder to her if she hadn't named several of the plushies in her own apartment. What was a car if not just a big adult toy, right?

[CyanDimitrik]

The car might be a bit more than that.

When Asuka poses her question, she looks back to her with a stumped expression. Named it? She'd never even thought about that. She looks again to the dark blue sportscar before them. Stepping forward, she draws a hand smoothly along the rim of the passenger side door. "It should have a name," she reflects thoughtfully. By the time she gets to the trunk, she concludes, "I'll figure something out."

The remaining contents of the trunk include what is obviously a guitar case, a violin case, a bagged keyboard, synth drums, and a couple cases containing what is most likely precious electronics. Perhaps more domestically, there are a few more bags of clothes and soft goods, but the aforementioned is the mainstay.

Katsumi carefully loads up her fingers with the instrument handles, but doesn't have enough fingers to get the electronic cases. "Uh," she begins, some clear apprehension in her voice. Apprehension and strain under the weight of the different instruments, that is. She won't be able to maintain this long. "Could you get those?," she asks, nodding to the cases. "Carefully, though! Carefully! It's expensive!"

Whether or not Asuka is able or willing, Katsumi has to begin the trek to the steps and ultimately her apartment. She has excellent grip strength, but her fingers only have so much stamina with that many weighty things dangling off of them!

[Lark]

"Well, when he/she/it gets a name, feel free to let me know." She eyes the car, following Kasumi to the trunk. She didn't really see the allure. Granted, this car was nicer than most she had ever seen up close, that much she could admit to. Still. It was just a machine to her. A really expensive machine. This one was likely worth more than she had ever ever gotten her hands on.

Between the Punk Princess name and the instrument cases, at least two of them when assumed she could identify, she assumed Katsumi was some sort of musical artist. That was pretty nifty, to her anyhow. She didn't really know anything about music besides she liked listening to it, but she had that listening part down to a science.

She made a nervous face, leaning around Katsumi trying to help her gather up things in her hands but too hesitant to risk touching it, lest she topple it all over. "I sure can" she nodded stepping around Katsumi to gather contents of the trunk. "You got it, your expensive stuff is moderately safe with me!" Very reassuring

She loaded herself down, making sure she could manage what she had before making her way up after Katsumi. She took her take, being extra careful. She no doubt fell behind, but would make her way to the apartment.