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 Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 4:30 pm
There were whispers forming around the schoolyard, both exciting and ominous to students of all ages. Exams were coming. The time when everyone crammed and studied their hardest to pass their testing so they could celebrate, only to realize that school never really did end. And exams only heralded more difficult classes.
Second and third years may have been aware of this fact, but the first years were still impressionable little snots. Even little Jove, who was convinced he was not going to be taking exams at the end of the semester, was caught up in the fuss. The pup had only arrived mid-way through the year, fresh from learning to read and write, and had studied his hardest just to catch up to his classes, let alone keep up. He just couldn't feel ready for exams. But he had many friends with exams approaching and it was important that he study with them! Not only so they could benefit from his understanding and pass their exams, but also so that he could be in better shape to join them the following semester.
And that was why Jove was hunting down Junko's room to study. She had given him her room number so they could meet up after class and go over some notes, and she might even practice piano for him while he was there.
Finally he found what he thought was the right number, written on the door with some squiggly things under it. He gave a hesitant knock. If it wasn't her room, hopefully nobody would answer, or he cold run off before the occupant asked too many questions...
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 4:55 pm
Exams. For some reason the word brought up a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach, though she had never experienced an exam before. That was probably the problem; Junko only had stories to go by as far as exam experiences to go, so that really did not help. It made her even more worried. Sigh. Thankfully she had wonderful friends who were totally willing to study with her, and she also didn't have terribly difficult classes. Her only issues would probably be music and gym, and maybe even math class. Ugh, gym class. Would it have an exam? She hoped not. She really, really hoped not.
She was very glad Jove was coming to study with her. The two didn't get much time to spend together, so even if the premise was to study she was still more than happy to have the small pup come over to see her.
Junko had just been gathering her minipets together to put them in their playpen when there came a knock at the door, looking up with a grin. Good! He was here! She placed Sayuri into the pen, the last of the three who had been fighting her to go in, and hurried over to the door to open it for her little friend. Please be Jove, please be Jove..! "Jove! Hi!" She leaned down to hug the small boil with a delighted little squeal, ushering him inside and closing the door. She'd made sure to clean up as best as she could, though it was harder when she had four dress mannequins set up to one side. Each one had a different dress on it; a long black dress with orange ruffles, a white dress with red and purple designs on it, and the other two simply had sketches pinned to them for now with a few fabrics draped over them. She hadn't started on those two yet, but she was going to. There was a second sketch pinned to one of them as well since Junko had decided to add yet another outfit to her project for Riley; she wanted to make it up to her for failing so hardcore at paintball. The one table in the room was covered with books and snacks, and beside it was the small piano that had been put in here because of Professor Blue.
It didn't get much attention.
"I'm so happy to see you! Come on, come in. Make yourself at home~."
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 5:21 pm
Jove's relief that he had found the room was short-lived, the next emotion that swept through him was shock as he was hugged almost immediately. He would never get used to that sort of reaction... He schooled himself to stay as still as possible, and not pull back. Not from Junko.
He gave a happy tail wag and slipped into the room at her bidding, where he received his second shock of the day. There were several headless people in the room, each wearing a fancy dress or draped in fabric. Jove froze in place, and then slowly approached as though any minute they would lean forward to get him. Even the slight sound of Junko's movement made him skitter back a step before renewing his approach. It took a few minutes for him to realize the headless figures were not going to move.
The pup glanced up at Junko, and then one more quick glance towards the mannequins, ears perked forward. What were they for, and what were they doing in Junko's room?
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 5:41 pm
Junko watched as Jove wandered away from her to check out the dress forms on the other side of the room, humming curiously and tilting her head. He looked...scared, like a small animal cautiously approaching a creature that it was unsure was friend or foe. Had he never seen dress forms before? When he turned to her again Junko smiled proudly, walking over to where Jove was checking out the forms and putting a hand on the shoulder of the black dress. "Do you like them? I'm making some dresses for Riley since her clothes were destroyed when Red's boat sank. I've never made actual dresses before! Usually I just make kimonos..I must admit it's really fun! I might be getting a little carried away but...I hope she likes them!" She really hoped Riley liked her designs. Perhaps she'd have to invite her over soon to make sure she liked them so far. She wanted--no, needed them to be perfect. This was her first time actually making a dress without just being an assistant to her mother; she was both excited and nervous for how this would turn out, and she couldn't afford any mistakes whatsoever. Yes, Riley's input would definitely be needed.
The dress form was given a pat on the shoulder before she walked away from them, sitting down on one of the pillows placed on the floor by her table to serve in the place of actual chairs. Welp! Time to get studying!
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 6:09 pm
Dresses! They were only things dresses were made on, which explained the lack of head. Dresses didn't belong on heads. Now that he knew what the things were for, he approached with no trace of the wary carefulness he had exhibited earlier.
One fluffy ear swivelled backwards to listen to Junko chatter on about making dresses for Riley, and something he didn't understand, and how she got carried away... But the bulk of his attention was focused on the dresses. He had never known how clothing was made, but looking at the fabric draped over the mannequins and the sketches stuck to them hinting at future dresses, he could make a pretty good guess. And he was amazed. Thinking about Junko making clothing brought much the same awe as beholding someone levitating a whole kitchen table set.
He reached out very hesitantly to touch one of the dresses, the orange ruffle on the black one. The fabric was awfully soft...
With some reluctance he turned away from the dresses, and lifted his nose to sniff in the direction of the snacks on the table, and then he noticed another peculiar thing. His head tilted. Why were the pets in the open-roofed cage? He was so used to his own creatures running around at their own leisure, and even as a pup he had only been caged once, and temporarily when his caretaker first caught him.
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 7:00 pm
It was alright for Jove to touch the dresses since Junko knew he wasn't going to wreck them in any way. She watched with pride as he seemed fascinated by the work, her hair writhing calmly though it seemed to also be wiggling with excitement. In place of a tail they served well at expressing her emotions for now. Junko was gaining better control over her hair, it seemed. This was good. Very good.
Junko held a hand out as Jove seemed to be sniffing at the air. "I set out some snacks in case we get hungry! She promised not to eat all of them." Junko chirped, following Jove's gaze toward the playpen with her three minipets inside it. Sayuri and Kuro were prancing happily in circles, though Sayuri kept bumping into things. Aoi just sat there looking unamused. "You've never been in my room, huh? Well! These're my babies! Sayuri is the purple fox, Kuro is the black one. They're siblings! And then Aoi is the blue...thing...I'm not quite sure what he is. He's less friendly than the other two." She tilted her head a bit, noticing he seemed confused. Ohhhh if only he spoke a little more! "Is something wrong?"
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 7:10 pm
Jove looked back up at Junko, his expression closer to confusion than dismay. He trotted right to the edge of the pet enclosure and touched the side of the pen, and glanced back up at his friend as if to ask "What is this for?"
He looked back down at the wiggly little foxes. Junko's babies? Monsters were very peculiar, those babies looked nothing like his friend... A thought occurred to him as he remembered his first visit with Tomoko, and how one of her three bakekitsunes tried to drink his tea while they sat on the floor. Was the pen for keeping them away from the food? A part of him wondered why they didn't just sit nicely and ask for tasty things, because it would work a lot better than trying to climb on people, but he had to remind himself that they didn't think the same way he did.
But speaking of food! Jove's ears perked, and he trotted away from the fox playpen, to pick something randomly from one of the little food bowls on the table. he then offered it to Junko's hair, eyes wide and ears perked with anticipation.
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Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 4:30 am
Junko cupped her chin in the palm of her hand, tilting her head a little as Jove looked questioningly to her. "Hmmm~? I'm not a mind reader, Jove." She said gently, giving him a small smile. He made it so obvious what he wanted to say, but sometimes Junko wished he would talk to her more. Why was he always so quiet? Though maybe he didn't want to speak over the excited squeaky foxes; they seemed to annoy Seiji too, but honestly they'd gotten better since their little trip to the first minipet training class! Much, much better. "Sayuri is a little...excitable." Special. "So I took her to Professor Malcolm's first minipet training class and asked him how I could help keep her calm, or at least from hurting herself. He was very helpful!" She gestured to the playpen. "So I take them all out for daily walks until they're tuckered out, and let them play around in that pen there until they fall asleep. Except for Aoi, who's always grumpy, they seem happy!"
Sayuri sat at the edge of the pen and stared up at Jove with her eyes as wide as they could get, her mouth open and her tongue hanging out as she panted excitedly and thumped her tail against the floor. It was so fluffy it didn't make much noise, but every now and then she'd hit it just right that there'd be a soft thump, thump, thump, thump, thump! sound. Kuro was busy trying to get Aoi to stop being grumpy. It wasn't working.
Junko sat up again as Jove returned to her side, her smile growing brighter. Oh yay! He was ready to sit with her now! Or..not? She looked curious when the food bowl was lifted toward her hair, turning her eyes back toward Her and narrowing them just slightly. Be good. The Mistress scoffed at Junko's mistrust. "What is it you want, boil?" She asked, lifting a tendril of hair to pluck up the chopsticks that Junko had left on the table and clacking them together. "I must humor him, Junko. Besides...it's food, and you know how I love food." Junko sighed and said nothing about it, merely watching as She reached out to pick at the food Jove was offering Her until She was able to find a piece She could grab easily, parting Junko's hair Herself so She could drop the food in Her mouth. Mmmmm! "Delicious." She grinned, just taking the entire bowl from the boil and holding it Herself. It was much easier to eat this way!
"She's gotten a lot better since..." Junko shook her head a bit, trying not to remind herself of that. Instead she pulled Jove over to give him a hug, nuzzling her face into his hair. Yes, she was trying to comfort herself over thinking about her hair being cut off again, but she did also really like hugs.
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Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 5:39 pm
Jove's ears perked up very happily as Junko's hair picked up the chopsticks with more dexterity than the pup ever could. It was fascinating, how it would just take things and move them around all on it's own, and food seemed to be a favourite item. His delight at seeing the food plucked out of the bowl was lessened when the hair simply grabbed the entire bowl. He frowned, an expression that bordered on petulant pouting.
When he found himself in a hug, the pup made a slight grumbling noise in his throat. But he put up with the hug. They were, after all, in her room and not where other students would see it, and mistake him comforting her for the other way around. It was okay if ghouls needed comforting, but not him!
Jove still remembered his shock to realize Junko's hair had grown back after the cutting on the island, and the extra shock when he realized it moved on it's own, but he didn't equate her hug with that lingering trauma. He did, however realize something else as he was squished to her chest. Reaching up a little hand, he traced the sewing on the edge of one hem. Did Junko make these clothes too?
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 5:01 pm
Huh? Wait! Why was Jove frowning? "You know, Jove..my rule with Seiji is he's forbidden from making unhappy faces when I'm around." Junko leaned in, pressing her cheek against Jove's and pouting her lips. "Do I have to extend that rule to you as well~? Why are you frowning?" She asked as she reached to scritch behind his ears, hoping he wouldn't mind if she did that. She couldn't help it. He had adorably fuzzy ears. Though she did whine and pout pitifully at the grumbling noise he made as she hugged him, hugging him again. "Awwww! Jooooove! Don't you like my hugs?" She would be sad forever if he didn't. SAD. FOREVER.
Okay, not really. But she could pretend she'd be.
Junko hummed curiously and tilted her head, watching as Jove toyed with one of her sleeves. The Mistress paid them no mind, stuffing Her face full of food. She even made obnoxious 'omnomnomnomnom!' noises as She ate. Junko ignored Her. "I made these too, if you're curious." She told him with a proud smile, looking down at Jove and his..
His...
...
"Good Jack, Jove! How can you wear that?!" Junko cried out in dismay, holding him at arm's length to look him up and down. His sweater was in awful shape! It was practically falling off, and the fact that he was even still able to wear it without it just falling to pieces was some kind of miracle!
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 6:07 pm
Jove leaned into the ear-scritching, ever so slightly, hoping Junko wouldn't notice. It was so nice when he got ear scratches... His little grumpy grumble turned into a pleasant wordless muttering for as long as she rubbed at his ears, and for a minute he decided not to frown worse. Hopefully Junko wouldn't apply her no-frowning rule to him as well, he naturally frowned at least half the time.
He was amazed when Junko said she made those clothes too. They were so... clothes-like!
The pup's train of thought was abruptly halted when Junko pulled back, and his ears drooped at the expression on her face. What was wrong? He looked down at himself, and what he was wearing, and didn't understand. When he glanced back up it was with a heartbreakingly confused expression.
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 3:12 pm
Oh, Junko noticed. Of course she noticed! But she didn't say anything, instead accommodating for the movements and continuing to scritch at his ears. Awwww! He was so cute! She wanted to hug him so much! The look of amazement surprised her though, wondering if maybe he didn't believe her. She could prove it! Really, she could!
But now he was confused and looking at himself and his sweater. Did he not see the holes? The wear and tear? The loose threads? The fraying?! It was a disaster! This sweater needed to be burned dead. Forever. The look he was giving her didn't help, it only made her heart melt and she felt so bad for reacting as she had.
Too. Cute. Must. Not. Hug. Graaaaaaaah!
Junko hugged him tightly, nuzzling her cheek against his and whining. "Jooooove! Your sweater is just falling apart! How can you wear something like that? I should make you something new! Something not disintegrating into nothingness." Junko frowned, releasing the hug to cup Jove's face and tilt it up to look at her. "Can I at least make you a new sweater?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 3:46 pm
Jove pouted piteously as Junko pulled him back into a hug and proceeded to explain her reactions. So... one wasn't supposed to wear comfortable old sweaters? He did suppose the loose threads got caught on things a bit too often, and he had once put his thumb through that hole near the sleeve hem, but it was still a good sweater!
The pup couldn't be skeptical for too long, not when Junko immediately asked him if he would let her make a new sweater. His eyes widened hopefully, his ears still flopped back into a hopeful "You would really make a sweater for me?" expression.
He loved new clothing, especially sweaters. That was part of why he had sweater-napped most of Ren's supply. They were all too big for him to go to classes in, but he liked snuggling up into them when he was playing Scario Kart in Ren's room, or studying in his own dorm. But the thought of a new sweater, just for him? And one that Junko had made herself, just like those dresses!
His fluffy tail started to wag.
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 4:37 pm
Now that was a good reaction! She liked happy faces. Junko's smile returned and she nodded at the look he was giving her. Of course she would make him a sweater! She released the hug and gave him a gentle, affectionate hair ruffle. So cute! Awwww! Was his tail wagging?! That was just too adorable!
So much for studying.
"Alright. So, I'm going to need your measurements. What kind of sweaters do you like, Jove?" She really, really hoped he'd give her a verbal answer for once. This kind of thing was a lot easier to do when they were able to have conversation. She couldn't judge everything by facial expression alone! Junko stood up and walked across the room to where she kept her sewing supplies hidden away so they wouldn't get wrecked, pulling out a long tape measurer and turning back to Jove. She had to know what size to make this sweater, after all! Even if it was oversized, she'd need the basics. "I can even make other clothes if you like! I've never made anything for a boil before..."
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 5:03 pm
Where was she going? He grabbed a treat from a bowl on the table before trotted along behind her, tail briefly stilling it's wags as he mused over it. He even tried to peer around her until she turned with the tape measure, and he had to back up a step in order to look her in the eye instead of in the chest.
His tail wagged again, and he tugged on the lower hem of his ratty old sweater as if to say "I like sweaters like this!" He seemed unaware of her desire for actual conversation, and was perfectly comfortable expressing himself the way he knew best, with body language and expression.
He glanced over to the dresses on the dress forms, and then back up at Junko with a pleased expression. Surely if she could make things like that for ghouls, she would be fine making stuff for boils too! As long as it wasn't pink, and didn't have... ruffles or lace or something.
With another tail wag he offered Junko's hair the snack he had taken from the bowl.
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