[Lucy had been distracting herself in the kitchen: Brewing coffee. It’s what she’s done periodically for the past few days as stress relief. Messing with the beans here and trying to make an impressive cup.
So she hears Inaba, she flinches with surprise. Nearly dropping her cup before turning around.]
Inaba..?
[She looks... normal?]
Uh. No, don’t really need anything... [Lucy hesitates. It’s been a few days. She’s been worried sick and struggling to balance both sides of this break-up. It’s frustrating to see Inaba acting normal, when it has hardly been normal for her roommate.]
[She's had talks with a few people, so she's had more than enough time to cool herself off and return back to some semblance of normalcy.
Or an attempt at it, anyway.]
I don't necessarily need it, but if you want to come with, I'm not going to say no.
[There's a lengthy pause as she closes her eyes, as if mulling her words over in her head. Inaba doesn't like the idea of having to walk over eggshells around Lucy - around someone that she's allowed in her home, as a roommate.
But she doesn't want to be careless with her words, here.
Not when they're very important.]
I'm sorry, by the way. For... everything, I guess. And being both a burden and a pain in the ass the last couple of days.
[Lucy debates reaching for her bag and coming along, but slows her impulse. That's driven by loneliness, not Inaba. Knowing that about herself, she decides to measure this conversation before deciding if she'll come along.]
No need. You don't need to apologize for taking care of yourself.
[That's not a lie. Even if Lucy is frustrated by how lonely and anxious she's been, that isn't directly Inaba's fault. That, too, is a factor about herself that Inaba is quite aware of.]
Does this mean you're feeling better, or just that you're hungry?
[Which, really - she wasn't. She was just shutting herself behind closed doors. Not simply because she was feeling miserable, though.
She was also being selfish.
If she avoided people, she could shut them out. They wouldn't need to find her. They wouldn't need to ask the obvious question of "what happened?" and pry further. There was no need for Inaba Himeko to rip open her heart and smash it to the ground over and over again.
Which is why she chooses to be honest. For now.]
A little bit of both. It's still... [Hard, she wants to say, but she stops herself short.] ...but I think I can at least try and work my way through it. I can still change, and improve as a person. Maybe I'm just being sappy.
[Lucy would say that was still a form of selfcare, but she decides not to comment. Whatever the reason, Inaba did for Inaba what only she could. It's fair and valid, and Lucy isn't necessarily upset about it.
What has her upset is her own reaction. Her own fears of having this brief, happy lifestyle smashed to pieces so soon... But, likewise, Lucy has done what she must. The daydream is buried and reality is bittersweet.]
As long as you're doing it for you. This'll sound rich coming from me, but boys shouldn't be your reason to change.
[Does Inaba know that Lucy is in love with a tabby cat? Doesn't matter. This isn't about Lucy anyway.]
But if you've got a path, that's enough. Glad to hear you got that far. [Again, it's not about Lucy. She won't say that she's in the same 'self improvement' camp. Maybe at a later time, but this isn't it. Lucy certainly feels some unspoken kinship, though.]
[She doesn't know how to react to this, so she just winds up wearing a self-derisive smile that doesn't necessarily reach her eyes.]
Ha... boys are always the reason that I end up changing.
[It's kind of ironic, really.
She can't help but think about it a little. Those words she said before, from what feels like ages ago.
"You once changed me, but... apparently I can't change you."
That - maybe that was the issue, here. She was short-sighted, and wanted to cling onto something. And maybe she was a little desperate. She supposes that they just didn't suit each other.
And maybe there was an even... deeper rooted problem.
She's uncertain, though. She has no confidence in the answer she's found.]
Mm. Well - we'll see how it goes.
[The path is shaky. She doesn't know what will happen from here on out. And that thought is scary. Enough to almost clam up and never want to talk much on her past ever again.
To go back to distrusting everyone.
But... that wouldn't be fair to the others who put in so much effort just for her. For the one who even bothered to say that no matter what bad thing she did, it'd be okay.
It's a selfish thing to want to cling onto, but she doesn't have anything else to. She barely has anyone else.]
[Going to immediately switch gears and shelve this for the time being. If Lucy wants to actually talk about it at length, it'll have to be at another time.]
[Inaba has had plenty of days to think serious things in her room, after all. Lucy sees no reason to make every moment of her life a serious and depressing one. When Inaba is ready to talk, though, Lucy recognizes that it will be difficult. It will be a case where it is only fair she be equally as open. Though, speaking of boys changing you... Lucy makes a note to call one such boy later.
She shrugs her shoulders to the question, nonchalant in response.]
As long as there's room for two. [She's coming along after all.] I was starting to forget what you look like.
[Then again, she supposes if this were an actual normal city, in a normal town she probably would be. She looks like the more common Japanese person than most, after all.]
But alright. [She has her phone out, she's already doing the thing.] ... ten to fifteen, it says. Is that enough for you to get prepared?
What can I say? I've never had anyone to remember for long, so it's difficult for me.
[Was that funny? Lucy thinks that it is.
At Inaba's insistence, she walks to the dining room and retrieves her tote bag. It's her cheap purse substitute and it's held the coffee she was previously brewing. Speaking of; Lucy will go turn off the coffeemaker and seal the coffee bags.]
Yeah, I don't need much. Just enough time to clean up. [While sealing the bags, she comments dryly,] The definition of 'coffee' is peculiar here. I've missed you telling what is or is not worth buying.
[She's already personally packed. There's no issues here.]
I know what places are good and have the safe stuff, so if you want to get some regular beans, we can. We still should have plenty of green tea, but I'll grab a few more of those as well once we get there.
[Since she uses tea quite a bit.
Especially when Atsushi - the one who lived here - was around.]
And also I just really want to get a large tub of some fucking good ice cream.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
So she hears Inaba, she flinches with surprise. Nearly dropping her cup before turning around.]
Inaba..?
[She looks... normal?]
Uh. No, don’t really need anything... [Lucy hesitates. It’s been a few days. She’s been worried sick and struggling to balance both sides of this break-up. It’s frustrating to see Inaba acting normal, when it has hardly been normal for her roommate.]
You gonna need an extra set of hands?
no subject
Or an attempt at it, anyway.]
I don't necessarily need it, but if you want to come with, I'm not going to say no.
[There's a lengthy pause as she closes her eyes, as if mulling her words over in her head. Inaba doesn't like the idea of having to walk over eggshells around Lucy - around someone that she's allowed in her home, as a roommate.
But she doesn't want to be careless with her words, here.
Not when they're very important.]
I'm sorry, by the way. For... everything, I guess. And being both a burden and a pain in the ass the last couple of days.
no subject
No need. You don't need to apologize for taking care of yourself.
[That's not a lie. Even if Lucy is frustrated by how lonely and anxious she's been, that isn't directly Inaba's fault. That, too, is a factor about herself that Inaba is quite aware of.]
Does this mean you're feeling better, or just that you're hungry?
no subject
[Which, really - she wasn't. She was just shutting herself behind closed doors. Not simply because she was feeling miserable, though.
She was also being selfish.
If she avoided people, she could shut them out. They wouldn't need to find her. They wouldn't need to ask the obvious question of "what happened?" and pry further. There was no need for Inaba Himeko to rip open her heart and smash it to the ground over and over again.
Which is why she chooses to be honest. For now.]
A little bit of both. It's still... [Hard, she wants to say, but she stops herself short.] ...but I think I can at least try and work my way through it. I can still change, and improve as a person. Maybe I'm just being sappy.
no subject
What has her upset is her own reaction. Her own fears of having this brief, happy lifestyle smashed to pieces so soon... But, likewise, Lucy has done what she must. The daydream is buried and reality is bittersweet.]
As long as you're doing it for you. This'll sound rich coming from me, but boys shouldn't be your reason to change.
[Does Inaba know that Lucy is in love with a tabby cat? Doesn't matter. This isn't about Lucy anyway.]
But if you've got a path, that's enough. Glad to hear you got that far. [Again, it's not about Lucy. She won't say that she's in the same 'self improvement' camp. Maybe at a later time, but this isn't it. Lucy certainly feels some unspoken kinship, though.]
1 / 2
Ha... boys are always the reason that I end up changing.
[It's kind of ironic, really.
She can't help but think about it a little. Those words she said before, from what feels like ages ago.
"You once changed me, but... apparently I can't change you."
That - maybe that was the issue, here. She was short-sighted, and wanted to cling onto something. And maybe she was a little desperate. She supposes that they just didn't suit each other.
And maybe there was an even... deeper rooted problem.
She's uncertain, though. She has no confidence in the answer she's found.]
Mm. Well - we'll see how it goes.
[The path is shaky. She doesn't know what will happen from here on out. And that thought is scary. Enough to almost clam up and never want to talk much on her past ever again.
To go back to distrusting everyone.
But... that wouldn't be fair to the others who put in so much effort just for her. For the one who even bothered to say that no matter what bad thing she did, it'd be okay.
It's a selfish thing to want to cling onto, but she doesn't have anything else to. She barely has anyone else.]
2 / 2
[Going to immediately switch gears and shelve this for the time being. If Lucy wants to actually talk about it at length, it'll have to be at another time.]
You don't mind if I call a lift, do you?
[No trains.
Absolutely not.]
no subject
[Inaba has had plenty of days to think serious things in her room, after all. Lucy sees no reason to make every moment of her life a serious and depressing one. When Inaba is ready to talk, though, Lucy recognizes that it will be difficult. It will be a case where it is only fair she be equally as open. Though, speaking of boys changing you... Lucy makes a note to call one such boy later.
She shrugs her shoulders to the question, nonchalant in response.]
As long as there's room for two. [She's coming along after all.] I was starting to forget what you look like.
no subject
[Then again, she supposes if this were an actual normal city, in a normal town she probably would be. She looks like the more common Japanese person than most, after all.]
But alright. [She has her phone out, she's already doing the thing.] ... ten to fifteen, it says. Is that enough for you to get prepared?
no subject
What can I say? I've never had anyone to remember for long, so it's difficult for me.
[Was that funny? Lucy thinks that it is.
At Inaba's insistence, she walks to the dining room and retrieves her tote bag. It's her cheap purse substitute and it's held the coffee she was previously brewing. Speaking of; Lucy will go turn off the coffeemaker and seal the coffee bags.]
Yeah, I don't need much. Just enough time to clean up. [While sealing the bags, she comments dryly,] The definition of 'coffee' is peculiar here. I've missed you telling what is or is not worth buying.
no subject
[She's already personally packed. There's no issues here.]
I know what places are good and have the safe stuff, so if you want to get some regular beans, we can. We still should have plenty of green tea, but I'll grab a few more of those as well once we get there.
[Since she uses tea quite a bit.
Especially when Atsushi - the one who lived here - was around.]
And also I just really want to get a large tub of some fucking good ice cream.