[EFFECT ROOM] Dresses for the Dressing Room!

[noisycircus]

[Welcome to Lapin Angelique! Everyone who enters this room will suddenly find themselves wearing a Gothic Lolita Dress. They may also have other gothic accessories such as tiny little hats, frilly parasols, vampire capes, or spooky plushies.

Bizarre things will happen if you try to take off the clothes. Maybe it will just be downright impossible, they're stuck to your body. Maybe you'll start to FEEL GOTH and the BLACKNESS OF YOUR HEART compels you to put the clothes back on. Maybe you start taking off the clothes, only to find that doing so causes you to slowly morph into a bunny until you put them back on (or until you're a bunny. But was that REALLY worth it?) It's all up to fate!

Either way, these dresses are probably staying on, at least until the effect wears off. Which could be anything from a couple hours to the rest of the day.]

Comments

[onethirdthesoul]

You've...only been eating food from vending machines?

[Oh no. That was all junk food! She was going to make herself sick if she kept that up.]

[roadroller]

Yeah. They have all these American snacks right, that are just so sugary I feel like I'm going to die.

[if she was a human, she probably would be. Of cardiac arrest. Good thing she's not a human.]

It's awesome. ♪

[onethirdthesoul]

... [Oh noooo. Ryou's getting secondhand diabetes just thinking about it.]

Y-you know there's a home ec. room, right? You could get some supplies to make simple dishes there. Rice and pasta, for example...

[Please don't go out eating vending machine junk every day. His guilt is only multiplying!]

[roadroller]

[Rin doesn't see what he's fretting about. She looks perfectly healthy.]

Yeah, I know. Don't worry about it.

But anyway, this is a lot better than the vending machine stuff. I guess you get in a lot of practice having to cook for yourself. ♪

[onethirdthesoul]

...Well, as long as you know. [He picks dejectedly at his piece of cake, pushing it around the plate and just making a mess.]

I like cooking, so it all works out. Cooking for others is fun too, but I usually don't have the chance.

[Maybe he can...alleviate some of this guilt.] If you ever want real food Rin-chan, I'd be more than happy to make you something.

[roadroller]

Um, sure, I wouldn't mind sharing a meal if you wanted to cook for me. But it's really okay... ♪

[She's gone to trying to reassure him, since he's looking a bit distressed. Soon, though, the cake is finished.]

Thanks for the meal. ♪

[onethirdthesoul]

You're welcome... [He smiles pleasantly, just feeling worse because of how modest she's being.]

And it's really no problem! It'll give me something to do.

[roadroller]

[it's not really modesty; she just is pretty indifferent to real food. She likes it, but not enough to understand stressing over it.]

Heheh, okay then. Just let me know when you've got something cooking, and I'll come over. I don't have anything better to do either. ♪

[She pauses.]

Though I guess I should probably be going soon. I need to go meet some more people... ♪

[So she can get one of them to be her roommate. Because you wouldn't. You jerk.]

[onethirdthesoul]

Un, will do...

[Ah, she's planning to leave already? Well, that makes things easier on him at least. Ryou stands, pushing his plate aside so he can lead her towards the door.]

And if you're done, sure. It was nice talking with you, Rin-chan.

[roadroller]

Hahah, I don't mean to eat and run, but ... [He kinda looked like she was bothering him anyway.]

Yeah, you too. I'll see you later, k? ♪

[She waves and steps outside]

[onethirdthesoul]

See you!

[Ryou waves behind her, quietly shutting the door. As soon as it's shut he leans back against it and lets out a suffering sigh.

...What has he done? He was glad to not have to share his apartment, but at the same time... She hadn't seemed too bad once she sat down and talked.

And she really seemed inexperienced. Was it right to just let her go out on her own? Not everybody could live on their own like he did, although he did it more out of necessity than out of wanting to...]

Ugh... I feel like a jerk!

[roadroller]

[After she walks away a bit, her own smile drops as well. She meant every bit of her sob story; it's going to be a pain in the ass finding someone else to room with. She's pretty sure everyone else here that's around her age already has a roommate.

Rin sighs and heads back towards the roadroller. Maybe it's time to blow off some steam.]

[onethirdthesoul]

[This is for the best, he reminds himself as he looks over towards the bag that held his Ring. She's better off not knowing me!

But she'd reached out to him so earnestly, and he shot her down for selfish reasons. It's not as if Ryou had a lot of friends in this place either. Rooming with a girl wasn't that bad, was it? Maybe it was improper, but so was being dragged here against their will! And it's not like they were going to do anything funny. She was younger than him, so...he could just pretend she was like an adoptive little sister, or something. He'll just sleep on the couch.

This guilt was never going to go away if he let things stay as they were, and he had enough guilt to deal with without having to potentially look it in the face whenever he passes her in the hall.]

Okay! It's decided then...

[Ryou turns and creaks the door back open, poking his head out to see if Rin is still nearby.]

[roadroller]

[Well, luckily the hallways are pretty long. She's walked away fairly far, but she's still within sight. Rin does not notice him coming back out as she's humming to herself.]

[onethirdthesoul]

... [She's not gone then! Good. Ryou will just step out of his room and call out to her.]

Ah, Rin-chan?

[roadroller]

[lalala hm? Rin stops and turns, calling back]

What's up? ♪

[onethirdthesoul]

[Ryou swallows, taking a moment to get the words out. He knew he was wrong, and that's what made it harder, since she'd believed him.] I...reconsidered! If you want to stay with me, that's okay... I don't mind the company.

[roadroller]

[Turns all the way around now!]

Really? ♪

[onethirdthesoul]

Un, really! [He nods and then smiles. It felt nice to at least shuck off the brunt of that guilt. Even if he still felt bad for what he'd done, at least he'd made things right]

So you don't have to worry about finding someone else.

[roadroller]

Aaaah, thank you~! ♪

[She comes running back and practically tackles him in a hug.]

[onethirdthesoul]

A-ahh! [Ryou just barely manages to avoid toppling over, and once he's regained balanced he just hover-hands the hug in return.]

D-don't mention it, really...

[roadroller]

But I appreciate it!

[Letting go, she gives him a bright smile]

Ok! Well, I better go get my stuff then. It will be easy to move, since it's just clothes. ♪

[Everything else she had is already in her roadroller, at least.]

[onethirdthesoul]

[Her smile must be contagious, because he can't help but return it. At least he'd managed to make someone happy.]

Sure. I can help if you want.

[roadroller]

Ah, you don't have to! I was just gonna pile it all in the car. ♪

[onethirdthesoul]

Your...car...

[She didn't mean the roadroller, did she?!]

Are you sure you want to waste gas for something that small?