Just Off The Key || Lizrei

Chapter 1: You are the Dreamer

This Story is purely converted and is not mine.

----------

Hi, this is Liz, your new roommate. I moved my stuff in this morning; I guess you were at work, but, you know, I wanted to leave you a note so you didn't think someone did...the opposite of rob you. Or something. Anyway, I went to get groceries. – Liz

Oh, and if you aren't Naoi Rei, please tell her. Thank you.

Well...the note on Rei's fridge was certainly unique. She had to admit, the first thing she'd thought when she caught sight of all the new stuff scattered around her apartment was ohmygod somebody broke in and gave me all their belongings! Then she'd regained her ability to think rationally and remembered that her new roommate was joining her today, and dear God, she'd left one of the stove burners on that morning after breakfast.

Her new roommate was Kim Elizabeth Jiwon, who apparently wrote in a childish scrawl that floated up and down the page, even on lined paper. She had drawn an elephant doodle in the bottom right hand corner and stuck the note to the fridge using a mini stuffed horse with magnetic feet that Rei had never seen before. Of course, Rei approved though; adorable things were her forte. She patted it on the head with a smile.

The building's landlord had been the one to find Rei a roommate, as she was too busy with rehearsals to scour the streets of New York for somebody to fill the space of her ex-roomie. She knew she had driven the previous occupant around some sort of bend, what with her singing and talking and purchasing of a hyperactive golden retriever puppy with an affinity for shoes. In the end, either Barnaby or the roomie had to go, which is why Barnaby was now bounding out of Liz's room, tongue lolling and eyes bright.

Oh God, Rei thought. He must've destroyed something.

Rei didn't really want to enter Liz's room. She wasn't some nosy spy or anything; really, she was just loud and annoying, according to other people. But, she definitely didn't want her new roommate to come home and find her most prized possessions in slobbery shreds on the bedroom floor.

So she pushed the door further open and stepped inside.

Right into fucking Wonderland.

Liz had obviously completely unpacked, as no boxes were present. But holy mother of God, how could a room be so cluttered when it had been occupied for less than a few hours? Rei stood in the doorway, dazed, just taking it all in and patting Barnaby absently on his happy head for not wrecking anything.

Rei took in the patterned and colorful bedding, full of blue and green and orange and yellow. There were matching purple lamps on the desk and side table, and there were- yeah, okay, shit- there were four bookcases along the walls, filled to critical mass. Rei actually feared for Liz's safety; she didn't want to be awakened in the middle of the night to find her roommate dying under a four-ton bookcase full of crap.

Rei couldn't resist walking closer to examine the "crap." Most of it was actually books, multiple copies of classics that looked well-worn and falling apart. She counted Gulliver's Travels and Alice in Wonderland, everything by C.S. Lewis and Roald Dahl and Dickens, Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, Black Beauty and Sherlock Holmes. Rei moved on, trailing her fingers lightly over their spines, and looked at the rest of the clutter.

She briefly wondered if Liz was a hoarder. Her eyes widened; oh God, they'd end up on TV and Rei would be the clueless roommate who had enabled Liz to live in an unsanitary mountain of junk for an inordinate amount of time. She'd be the one breaking down into tears convincing Liz to just let that damn napkin go!

Except, Liz's stuff really wasn't junk. It was...fantastic.

Rei loved the shelf full of snow globes and hourglasses and pencil sharpeners. She loved the collection of hacky sacks and the small, blue piggy bank on the desk; the flock of miniature ceramic animals watching from one of the bookcases reminded Rei of her own childhood. She smiled softly when she caught sight of the worn, faded, and slightly balding teddy bear sitting in the center of the bed, covers pulled up over him.