middaeg | Intro Overflow: May

[ Lux watches him intently, as he takes off his shoes before pulling the comforter off of the bed. It was easy enough to miss when they first were shoved toward the bedroom, but his unflappable demeanor manages to diffuse some of her apprehension about this arrangement. It's still uncomfortable... but it could be worse.

Silently, Lux moves to follow suit, unfastening and removing her boots before setting them by the door near his. She shakes her head as she turns toward him once more. ]

Never.

[ That would require her having someone to build a blanket fort with. The attendants at their estate had grown tired of her childish whimsy at a very young age; and friends her age were out of the question.

But she's willing to learn! Although why he would need string... Does he plan on hanging that blanket like a tent? Considering, Lux reaches into the pouch on her belt, pulling out a coiled length of twine before offering it out to him. She won't need to light any fires tonight, so maybe he can make use of it. ]

Would this work? We could tie it from the bedpost to the door.

Then, I'm glad to introduce you to this. It's pretty silly to some people, I guess, but I don't mind being silly.

[ Souji toes the line between dignified and foolish pretty regularly, and he knows it, himself, so. He isn't particularly bothered by childish whimsy at his age. Especially since he didn't get to do it much himself, as a child. Maybe a year ago he wouldn't have admitted to it, but... ]

I hadn't actually done it myself, until just last year.

[ He'll do so, now. It normalizes this a lot more. And as he turns back to look at her from the room at large, his eyes drop down to the twine that she offers him, smile twitching up more at the corners. It's a look of approval, comforter getting hefted up over his shoulder so that he can take the twine and find one end of it. ]

If we tie it just right, we'll still be able to open the door without having to untie or cut it. You're already getting the hang of this.

[ Seeing his smile grow encourages one out of her as well. It's a little silly, he's right, but it sounds like it could be fun. Giving her something to put her focus on has always helped ground her in the past, and if nothing else this could prove as a good icebreaker for the both of them.

He said that they might find extra sheets in the storage closet, didn't he? Lux sets to work doing that, a light spring in her step that wasn't there previously. Even if she can't quite visualize how it will work, that's part of the appeal. She wants to know what the final product will be.

Sure enough, there is at least one more set of sheets and pillows in the closet. Rising up on her tip-toes and reaching for one of the shelves, she casts a glance over her shoulder. ]

I don't believe I caught your name. I'm Lux.

[ Folding the comforter to set aside while she goes to check for more sheets, Souji pulls the topmost sheet off the bed. It'll be better for the twine, he thinks, instead of putting strain on the length of it. He doesn't want to risk it all collapsing, after all...

It's as he's unwinding the coil that she speaks again, and he lifts his head from where he'd been considering his task. How to go about tying things up. Maybe they can make a bit of a net out of it.

There's a short laugh, sheepish, and he turns to better face her. ]

Nice to meet you, Lux. I'm Souji.

[ Pulling down the spare sheets, Lux places them at her feet in a neat stack. She won't be able to get everything (curse her height), but once she has an armful, she carries them over. ]

Likewise, although I wish it was under better circumstances.

[ Is she referring to their overall predicament, or their needing to share a room? Lux doesn't give him time to question that, setting down the sheets beside him before surveying the room. Let's see... ]

Here, give me one end. Let's see how much we have to work with.

[ She's almost certain they have enough twine to tie a few lengths from the bed posts to anywhere else in the room, but looks can be deceiving. ]

[ Judging by where she got the sheets from, Souji imagines he'll be able to reach them where she can't. But he doesn't comment on that - because that would be rude, and he's polite - and instead assesses the room again for a moment. It would be nice if they had a second bed instead of this big one, but, well. Beggars can't be choosers. ]

They could be better, but I think they could also be worse. At least the company is good.

[ His smile quirks up again, and he gives her the end that he's already unraveled. It means they can start taking stock of it, and it'll help give them an idea of a layout they can work on. ]

If nothing else, we can at least get started on something with what we have, even if it doesn't cover as much as we anticipate.

[ Ah, a fellow optimist. Were the brooms able to sense that sort of thing, or were they both extremely lucky with their rooming assignment? Either way, Lux offers him an appreciative smile before taking the free end of the line. ]

We could always unravel it if we need to. I wasn't using this for much anyways.

[ It wouldn't be strong enough to use for anything other than tinder, so she doesn't mind offering it to the cause. But that does get her thinking, as she takes her end and begins crossing the room. ]

Running two lines next to each other would make it stronger. We could tie both to the bed post and fan them out. [ She had that thought about the comforter herself. ]

[ Being the hopeful sort like he is, but realistically, Souji will just believe they got lucky. After all, despite all the embarrassed awkwardness that'd preceded this, they're... actually managing pretty well! ]

It'll go to a good cause, at least. [ Said with a small chuckle, as he holds onto his end to let her continue with hers. That way it'll unravel. Her proposal, though - that's actually pretty smart. ]

You're on the right track. The comforter's pretty heavy, but it would be good for either a futon or a more sturdy part of the fort. The sheets and blanket still need support though.

[ She may not be as well-traveled as most, but this isn't her first time pitching a tent—and this seems to be very similar to doing just that. Teamwork makes the dream work, so it's good that the two of them get along. This should go pretty quickly.

Taking the twine from one end of the room to the other, she pinches and winds it around her hand before starting another pass. Looks like they'll have at least two full lengths. ]

A futon? [ She's not familiar with that term. ]

[ Pitching a tent is... not associated with a very great memory. Camping out with Yosuke alone probably would have been fine, but then chaos had ensued on that school trip. Souji will pass on a repeat performance, and just be grateful this is going so much better than that.

But he perks a little as she asks that, even as he eases the twine through his hands for her to get to the end for their estimate. ]

It's a sort of bed, where I come from. There are two kinds, but the most common one in Japan is usually a pliable kind of mattress that can be rolled or folded up for day storage in a closet. Doing that can open up the room, so that you can use it for something else, or free up space.

[ A pliable mattress? In a house? Now that he explains it, a futon sounds a lot like a bed roll (which makes the tent assessment even more apt), but Lux is used to using one for camping. People use them like a bed where Souji is from? That's strange. ]

We have something like that where I'm from, but...

[ She considers, sounding somewhat unconvinced as she curls her hand at her lips. She isn't going to question something that people do where he's from, but Souji, that blanket is too thin for something like that... ]

Maybe we should sandwich a few blankets in-between, just to be safe.

[ She's used to running warm, so it's fine. She would end up kicking them off the bed anyway. ]

Intro Overflow: May

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