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 Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 8:30 pm
After she had scrubbed off the last of the wretched paint from decorating the hallways, Riley headed to her original destination. She found herself in the monster dorms, assaulted by a wondrous scenery of the strange and abnormal. It was charming, she mused. Even the slime that covered that far wall seemed to fit right into place in the decor of the building's halls.
Determined to arrive at her destination without delay, she headed for what she had been told was Junko's dormroom. With a polite knock, she waited in hopes that Junko was in. She had urgent matters to attend to, and from what she heard, this was the best place to go for the arrangement of such.. frivolous desires.
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 9:18 pm
Junko was still working diligently on her kimonos for her friends, wanting to get them done as quickly as possible so as not to keep them waiting! Plus she had a project for herself she wanted to try, one to make a dress like the ever famous Sally to wear for her play audition. She wasn't sure if she would make the part, auditioning for Sally was quite ambitious! But regardless she wanted to at least attempt it, and hey...if they didn't like her audition at the very least perhaps she could help with costuming? Unfortunately she'd been so busy lately she was quite behind! Sin's was done, she just needed to finish Kasumi and Lilura's now. She was working on Lilura's first since she had been the first Junko had promised a kimono, a few pins sticking from her mouth as she sat at the edge of her bed and sewed a pattern together. Suddenly a knock came at the door and she blinked, standing and walking to the door without so much as removing the pins or putting down the kimono. Luckily she had one hand free to open the door, letting Her actually be helpful for once by taking the pins from her mouth so she could greet whoever was there. She blinked, looking a bit taken aback by the ghoul at her door. Wow she...was different! How interesting! She had no mouth? That was...interesting? Errrr...
"Um...hello." Junko said lamely, unsure of what to say. Was...she looking for Junko or did she have the wrong dorm? How did this ghoul know where she lived? Did someone direct her here? How strange! "Can I help you?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 9:27 pm
One of those normal, shy, awkward students might have found this situation a little distressing. To knock on the door of a complete stranger, and request their assistance, out of the blue; it might seem a horrendous embarrassment, an impossible hurdle.
Riley saw it as nothing more than means to an end.
Hello. Riley responded, in a reassurring thought so that Junko would not be too surprised to hear another voice in her own thoughts.
My name is Riley. I'm new here. Am I to assume you are the one they call Junko?
Obviously, before stating her intention, she thought it best to make sure this was the student she had been referred to. Otherwise, her plan could fall through.
Her thoughts were straightforward, and held no hint of any emotion. This was important, for it she had any of her own thoughts while sending her words to Junko, the thought might be colored with a flavor of emotion. This had happened once before already, and Riley was not keen to frighten someone the way she had before. She tried her best to remain casual, reassuring, and light.
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 9:45 pm
What the! Junko froze and stared wide-eyed at the person in front of her, trying to figure out if that voice really was coming from inside her head. N-no! Nonono! Not another one! Junko already heard Her all hours of the day she didn't need to hear more voices! She looked ready to panic when the voice in her head continued to introduce herself, seeming to quell whatever attack she was about to have. Oh...it was the ghoul in front of her? Guess that kind of made sense considering she had no mouth, still she wasn't exactly sure she liked the idea of her head being invaded. It was weird enough her personal bubble was invaded whenever she was around Yaya. It was clear she was new, she'd never--oh wait wasn't Riley at the student council party? Yeah! She was! ...Right? She couldn't remember much except pink elephants.
Oh, Jack...pink elephants...they'd been everywhere!
Junko shook off the thoughts and then nodded to Riley's question. 'They'? "Yes, I'm Junko. Um...'they'? People have been...talking about me?" She sounded scared, worried, paranoid. People were talking about her? How? What were they saying? She didn't know very many students yet there were only so many who could talk! Why was she here? Was there some kind of rumor going around? Gaaaah!
"...Junko...calm down, seriously. You're getting way too wound up about this." She sighed in exasperation, carefully holding the pins that had been in Junko's mouth. "Don't mind her, she's paranoid." She continued as if She needed to apologize for Junko's behavior, for the tone in her voice matched the look on her face; Junko was very self conscious.
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 11:20 pm
Riley might have slumped slightly, when Junko's face registered shock. And she'd tried -so- hard to not frighten.. oh, well. Gathering the required answer, she nodded and rose a long hand, twirling it in the air gracefully.
The gnomes, you understand. Everyone here seems a little, perturbed by their presence, but no one understands their true potential.
As much as she had been trying to before, this time Riley's voice took on a life of it's own. As she 'spoke', echoes of her voice would add in whispered tidbits here and there, as a reverb to her own internal dialogue.
They listen, you see. in the walls, they're in the walls.. They hear every whisper you breathe into the darkness, every secret that you bury into the ear of a comrade. never truly alone They're always listening, and that means, they know everything. no one sees, no one understands
The echoes sharply stopped as Riley realized her own thoughts were getting carried away with her. She tapped a thin digit to her chin.
So I've been speaking with them. As much as they know, they don't like to share. But they do so love compliments, so they managed to tell me that you are among one of the students I should look for if I needed help preparing clothing of any sort.
It was at this point, and only this point, that Junko might notice the three extra large burlap bags in the crook of Riley's arm. They were still covered with a fine layer of dirt, even though Riley had tried to beat them clean before arriving at Junko's door.
I don't want to impose, I only hoped that perhaps you could show me how I might be able to sew together a costume for our auditions today? I will be auditioning for the role of Oogie Boogie, hence this burlap. I would not require you to make the costume for me, as I am sure you are too busy for such an endeavor. I simply require the knowledge of how to do so, perhaps even a careful eye watching the progress as I attempt it, and I am sure I will be able to manage. Would you be willing to assist me?
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Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2010 12:24 am
The gnomes? The gnomes were talking about her? Junko seemed to deflate a bit, looking almost disappointed that her worries were for nothing. So she hadn't heard about her from her friends? Damn...not that Junko was out to be some kind of star or something but it'd be nice to hear some good things being spread about her. Maybe. Possibly. Riley's words were very odd though, and the echoing made her squirm a bit. What did this ghoul want? She was making Junko rather uncomfortable to be honest!
Oh! That was what she wanted! Junko blushed a bit at the proposition she was making, looking down to the burlap bags in Riley's arms. She'd never worked with burlap before, this was definitely going to be a challenge! She hoped her needles would be strong enough. "Um, sure! I'd love to help! I was going to get ready to audition for Sally myself, just wanted to get a bit of this done," She held up Lilura's currently being worked on kimono for Riley to see. "before I put together a dress like Sally's. It shouldn't be too hard, I have plenty of fabric to make a patchwork dress with...I've never worked with burlap, but I'll do my best!" And really her best was all she could offer.
"It's not like you can mess that thing up anymore than you mess up your own work." She interjected with a bored yawn. Junko flinched, peering back toward her. That was mean! She'd just have to hope Riley didn't notice...though that seemed unlikely.
"Come in, come in. Excuse the mess...I have a few projects to work on. Oh, and a baby." She gestured to the pumpkin sitting on a 'nest' of pillows. "It's for a project for class. It's my turn to take care of it." That was all, really! She wasn't some crazy teenaged mother in school!
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Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2010 12:39 am
Success. Riley had been invited in, and her request accepted. She would achieve much with the help of this little crafty ghoul. She followed along behind Junko as she was led inside, her eyes moving rapidly to take in the lay of the land. The ghoul seemed very busy, and had much to work on. Riley would have felt bad for giving her yet another job, if it wasn't for the fact that her goals were more important than guilt.
I assure you, once you have instructed me in what you would do, I will be able to pick it up rather quick. My idea was simple, really. Just a covering, for my entire body, up to my eyes.
She held the burlap bag up to cover her face, letting the top of her head and eyes still show. She thought that letting her tentacles roam free, instead of hiding them, would suit the creepiness of the character far more.
And I'd like a mouth.
An echo of laughter accompanied this thought. Riley found it amusing.
Not a cut out, mind you. Just a folding, an overlap here. She bent the fabric just so. Something that I can grab on to, She wiggled the end of one tentacle on each side of her head in a pseudo-greeting to Junko, -And manipulate. It should not be a difficult procedure. I'd also like the entire thing to be lined on the inside. I don't care what material is used for the lining, as long as there are no holes in it.
It was then that Riley finallly noticed a few very obvious things. The first was that she had heard Junko's voice, twice, when the ghoul's mouth hadn't moved. It suddenly peaked her interest, but she knew without a doubt that it was not the same type of speech she produced. It was as if Junko was talking from the back of her head. Perhaps the ghoul had two mouths, instead of one? How selfish. She should share.
The second thing Riley noticed was that Junko had a pumpkin, much like Tahki's. Riley lowered the burlap bag and gave a wary glance at the pumpkin, watching to see if it moved.
You have one of those creatures as well? Is it safely secured?
She would have to make sure to never put her back to it, as she did her work.
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Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 12:46 pm
Junko quickly cleared some space for Riley, pushing aside books and empty packages of food she had yet to throw away, and fabric for her projects. She sat down at the edge of her bed, holding an arm out to the pillows and chairs she had scattered about her room as invitation for Riley to sit as well. She listened to what Riley said she wanted, setting Lilura's kimono carefully aside for now. That didn't sound too difficult, though she had her a tad confused on what she wanted for the mouth. The laughter ringing in her head did send a slight shiver down her spine but that was all the reaction it got out of her, tilting her head and trying to think of what she was talking about. It sounded easy enough! She giggled and nodded to the waving tentacles, looking to her own hair which was still holding the needles from before. She decided to take them now and set them aside, sticking them into a pin cushion shaped like a little person and putting that aside. She could do it, but still burlap was something she'd never worked with before, it was a lot tougher than her average fabric. But if Riley wanted to do it herself she'd do her best to teach her what she knew! She reached a hand out for the burlap sacks, humming quietly. "Let me see it a moment?" She just wanted to match it with the thread colors she had and also get a good feel of it. Her mother would probably be better help for this than she was, she was the one who had taught her everything she knew after all, but her mother wasn't here! So Junko would have to do her best.
She picked up a black box filled with spools of thread, picking up a few different brown ones to compare with the burlap sacks. Hmmm...she was going to need a lot more thread to keep these heavy materials together. Maybe she'd just have to use all the browns? Though she wasn't looking at Riley Junko felt the eyes on her briefly, frowning and feeling the dread build up in the pit of her stomach even from that small look; she was prepared for the 'What/who is that?' question...though it never came. Wait, what? One of those creatures as well? Was there another futakuchi-onna here she was unaware of? Junko blinked and looked up from the threads and burlap in her hands to try and figure out what Riley was talking about. Did she mean her mouth? Or one of the little pets wandering around her room?
Oh! She meant the pumpkin! Duh! "Mhm! Its name is Daidaii. It's mine and my partner Yaya's. Safely...secured?" That was an odd thing to say! For now it was sitting amongst a nice little nest of blankets and pillows, because even though it was just a pumpkin at the moment Junko did want it to be as comfortable as possible. "It's...supposed to teach us the responsibility of being a parent? Or something. It isn't so bad so far." Had Riley met someone whose pumpkin wasn't so good? Oh dear!
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Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 4:04 pm
There was a moment of pause as Riley chose exactly where would be optimal to sit, and effectively observe everything that Junko did. When she had chosen the perfect position, she moved to sit in it - but instead, took a step forward and handed Junko the burlap first. Then, with a swiveled turn, she was all at once seated cross-legged on a pillow directly across from Junko's bed.
Riley's eyes glanced every so often at the pumpkin, warily. I understand. She murmured, though Riley's idea of 'the responsibility of being a parent' meant accepting your fate should your child need to use your for sustenance. She was not ready to accept the responsibility. I'm glad to hear it has not done you any harm. How long are these pumpkins going to be in your care? I met a student with a similar pumpkin; ones hopes the assignment will end before it truly hatches.
Riley was glad she had come to the academy when she did. She just -barely- missed having to deal with killer pumpkin spawn.
Her faint, glowing gaze then settled on Junko once more, and the burlap in her hand. I apologize again for burdening you with my task. Riley murmured with a gentle undertone. If I did not direly need this assistance, I would not have bothered you with it. The gnomes simply mentioned that students highly recommend you for such tasks; I could not afford to pass on the chance for your assistance.
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Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 10:56 pm
How long? Junko hummed and looked to her calendar to see how long Nurse Cricket had said they needed to care for these pumpkins, making a small noise when she saw just how much time she had left. "Two weeks. The project is almost over, actually. Oh dear...I'll have to go see Yaya about that, our baby hasn't cracked yet." Were they doing it wrong? She hoped not! Oh dear! Junko frowned and reached out to gently pet the pumpkin, cooing quietly to it as if it were a real baby. That's what they were supposed to do, right? Treat them like real babies! Before long she turned back to her guest, hanging her the burlap and the spools of thread, and as she leaned over a section of hair split to pick up the pin doll to pluck a sewing needle from it and offer it to Riley as well. For once She was being helpful, which Junko greatly appreciated.
"Alright, now here's the thread you're going to need. Since it's a heavier fabric I've never worked with before...I might suggest using all of these to keep the stitches from falling apart from the weight. Also, you wanted the top open, right?" So her tentacles could stick out? That was a neat idea! But there was one problem: Gravity. "I think that'd be a good idea would be to keep it high enough to cover your eyes...just cut the front out so you can see, but also cut holes in the sides for your ears to stick through and hold it up! Otherwise gravity will take over and you'll lose the effect you're going for. I can do the cutting for you when we get to that part." Junko explained with a warm smile, actually getting rather excited for this. If Riley was going to work on her costume then she'd work on hers as well! She had plenty of extra fabric lying around that she had no other use for, it'd be a waste to throw them away or not use them at all.
At Riley's apology Junko blinked and looked genuinely surprised by it. Wasn't it...clear by looking around the room this was no burden at all? That Junko loved to do this? She giggled and smiled, shaking her head at the other ghoul as she began collecting the swatches she planned on using for her patchwork dress. "It's no burden at all! I love things like this! Students...are highly recommending me? Really!?" Junko gasped and hugged the fabrics to her chest, her eyes wide and practically sparkling with delight. Really? Her? She was sure? That...that was wonderful! Junko had never heard something like that before! Happiness welled up in her chest and she couldn't help but squeal with joy, bouncing on the edge of her bed. This was so exciting! Sin was right!
"Well thank you, Riley! I'm very happy you came to me!"
"Ugh, Junko. You're going to destroy Halloween if you get too happy." She groaned. It wasn't true, but Halloween was made of FEAR...happiness was not FEAR. Junko ignored Her though quite happily, picking out a spool of black thread for herself. She'd help Riley get started on her costume before she started on her own...but...eeeeeeee!
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Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 1:43 pm
Riley was pleased to hear that the pumpkin assignment would be complete in two weeks. That meant that there was a strong chance these pumpkins would not fully hatch while in the inexperienced, naive, innocent hands of students. She said nothing of the issue, but she nodded once, slightly. Junko's moving hair caught her attention, but she was not surprised - after all, her 'hair' moved of it's own accord, too. And this was hardly something out of the ordinary in Halloweentown. She took the needle from the offering hair's grasp, and a simple thank you was absent-mindedly murmured to Junko. She let the burlap sit on her lap, and with her other hand she took the offered thread.
Junko's instructions were clear, and her idea for the earholes was an excellent one. As for the execution, the cutting was something Riley felt she could handle, but..
She held up the needle, and the spool of thread. After all, she really wouldn't have come to Junko if she had any idea how to do any of this in the first place. How do I use these tools? She asked, trying to figure out exactly how to get the needle and thread connected. She put the needle through the hole in the middle of the thread spool, but it fell right through. Well, that wasn't it.
Since Riley was looking at Junko while holding her needle and thread up, she could see plain as day that the second voice, the one that didn't use a visible mouth, was talking to Junko. As if it was a separate entity. Riley looked around for a moment, before her head cocked in curiosity. Do you have something else living on you? She asked in a straightforward manner. Perhaps she had a talking parasite. How quaint.
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Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 3:42 pm
It wasn't that she felt Riley couldn't do it, Junko just thought that perhaps her doing the cutting while Riley actually wore it would give them the cleanest and most accurate cuts! She blinked and watched Riley try to thread the needle, giving a soft chuckle as she stood up and put down everything she was holding. Junko then walked to the table near her bed, cooing quietly to her pink scis-bird to coax it into hopping up into her hands, then carrying it to Riley and sitting down beside her. "Here, I'll show you. It's easy when you get the hang of it, but it does take getting used to." She explained gently, taking the spool from Riley and pulling out a nice length of string and the end of it out for the mini that happily bit through the thread and cut it. Junko then stuck one end between her lips for a brief moment before she stuck it through the needle's eye, letting it fall through about halfway so she could tie the two ends together. There! The needle was offered back to Riley. "And when it runs out you just tie it off at the end and put in a new thread. Now--h-huh?" Riley's question threw her off despite it being something she was used to being asked...sort of.
"That's a stupid question." Junko frowned.
"Mistress, shush. She's--"
"Don't you tell me to shush! Who do you think you a--" Junko had grabbed a nearby scrap of cloth and stuffed it into the mouth in the back of her head, effectively gagging Her if only for a minute or so. There, now she could finally answer properly.
"Sort of...I'm a futakuchi-onna...we have a second mouth in the back of our heads. I guess you could think of her as a second entity?" Though that wasn't entirely true. The Mistress was a part of her, just not a part of herself she liked at all and would rather have hidden. She wasn't so much a parasite as a pest. "She gets rather annoying, so I apologize in advance. It's nearly impossible to get her to stay quiet for more than a few minutes."
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Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 10:45 pm
Riley easily allowed the needle and thread to slip from her fingers as Junko took it away. She watched the ghoul carefully, committing to memory exactly how the process was managed. It was easier than she'd thought - she hadn't realized there was a tiny hole inside of the pin. It was clever. And now, Riley knew how to thread a needle. She took the needle back, examined it well, and looked up just in time to see Junko gag her hair. Wait, what.
A futakuchi-onna? Riley repeated, probably mispronouncing it since it was the first time she'd heard the word. That's quite interesting. It sounds native to asian-human culture, am I correct in that assumption? Riley and the collective information she had access to knew all about the asian culture, and many of it's legends - but this particular one eluded them. She was instantly more interested in Junko than she had been a moment earlier.
And it speaks it's own mind? Does it have it's own brain as well, or does it use your mind to process information?
Riley's costume was all but forgotten in the wake of this possible acquisition of new information.
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Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 9:12 pm
There really wasn't much to saying 'futakuchi-onna', it was pretty much said how it looked. Easy, right? At least Junko thought so. She gave a proud smile and a nod to Riley's next question about its origins, picking up the scraps of cloth she had been intending for her Sally dress as well as a spool of randomly colored thread; it didn't exactly matter what color it was if this was a patchwork dress, did it? This was going to be...interesting. She'd never made a dress out of scraps before. "Mhm! It is. Japan, to be more specific." She told her happily, counting through her pile of scraps. Did she have enough, even? She didn't want to have to make more, she honestly was using unused scraps from other projects. She needed every bit of fabric she could get for her...er...could she call them commissions? They weren't exactly being paid for...
At Riley's next question Junko paused, biting nervously on her lip. Damn, people didn't usually ask that part. They just went along with Her being Her own entity...Candlejack! "Ah...well...we share a body...? She sees through my eyes, hears what I hear, feels what I feel...but She does have Her own opinions." That much was true! She did have Her own opinions, but they shared a mind. Junko was never going to willingly admit that She often spoke things that Junko was thinking whether she wanted anyone to know about them or not. Yes, she was never going to admit to this. "She controls my hair as well. It's all She can do, really. She can't take control of my hands, my arms, my legs, my feet...nothing like that, so my hair acts as Her limbs?" If that made any sense. Said hair was even removing the gag as she spoke, tossing it across the room with a noise of disapproval.
"Don't listen to her, Junko lies more than a--" Junko frowned and shoved another scrap of cloth into her mouth.
"As I said, she's very opinionated. Is there anything else you'd like help with?" Junko asked sweetly, wanting desperately to change the subject away from Her. She only ever caused trouble.
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Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 9:02 pm
Riley sewed half-heartedly, listening to Junko's explanation with increasing interest. They used the same brain, but had separate thoughts. That brain.. that brain must be so stuffed. So deliciously stuffed. She had to fight to keep her hands from shaking as she continued to sew.
That's very enlightening, Riley murmured as normally as possible, attempting to keep the excitement out of her voice. There would have been a time, outside of this school, when I would have begged you to let me have a look inside that mind of yours. As it is, however, I'm not able to really do that here. A pity, I'm sure it would be such a pleasure. Mmm, yes. A delicious pleasure. She forced her eyes to turn down to her cloth.
It must be difficult, of course, to have an opposing opinion at your back with each turn. She murmured sympathetically. Some people can't even handle their conscious telling them what to do, but you have to deal with an actual entity doing so. It's a wonder you are so bright and cheerful despite this calamity. It says something about your strength of character. She held the cloth she'd sewn on both sides up, for inspection. How is that looking so far?
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