VIOLET SKY, takigawa chris yuu

━ chapter thirteen

act ii

how do we do this?
( carefully. )

chapter thirteen

❛i'm content for now❜

━━━━━━

"So," Chiyo drawls, stretching out on Amara's bed. "What's the agenda today?"

"Botanical gardens, the mall, then food," she replies distractedly, too busy with digging through her dresser for a suitable blouse. She's fresh out of the shower, towel wrapped around her body and hair, finding all of her clothes suddenly inadequate.

"Botanical gardens," Hiro says distractedly, seated on the floor, playing on Chiyo's switch. "That's an old people thing."

She makes a noncommittal sound, not truly listening and not caring, either.

"Are you ever going to show him the paintings you've been doing of his cat?" Chiyo asks, scrolling mindlessly on her phone.

"Next time," she answers. "I've gotten enough experience with it, I think, and Fukai's getting tired of me doing it again and again - and can you two actually be helpful and find me something to wear?"

Chiyo slides off her bed. "It's not hard, you're just overthinking. Go away, put on some clothes for now. We'll find something."

Hiro hops up from the ground and they push her away from the dresser. She sighs and does as they say, doing her hair and makeup in the meantime. The black strands of her hair are scraggly and tangled when she unwraps the towel from it but she works quickly to brush and blow-dry it.

Chiyo and Hiro mumble to themselves as they dig through her dresser, something about the location, forecast for the day and . . . the bra she's wearing?

She swallows and thinks of something else.

Chiyo leaves the dorm at one point, saying she's going to get something from her room, and Hiro continues to rummage, probably disorganizing her carefully put-together drawers.

"Hold it, don't start that yet," Chiyo calls from behind her, right before she can start smearing on foundation. She turns and Hiro tosses her a black tennis skirt.

After she slides it on, Chiyo hands her a snug white shirt and a maroon and black accented windbreaker. She tosses the jacket onto her bed for now.

"It'll be a little chilly today," Chiyo tells her while she looks over her appearance. "Are you keeping your hair down?"

She touches the warmed hair absently. "Yeah. That fine?"

Chiyo squints. "Let's put it up."

"You said it'd be cold -"

"I said chilly. Sit." She points at the desk chair and Amara knows this isn't a battle she's going to win, not by the way that Chiyo's mouth is set.

Chiyo braids her hair quickly, not trying too hard to make it neat and tight, saying something about how it looks just as fine if it's loose since it's 'intentional' - whatever that means.

She stands to observe her appearance in the mirror, picking up a tube of lip gloss to apply. Her hair looks fine, her makeup perfect as usual, her outfit cute. All those things should soothe her nerves. They don't.

Fiddling with the hem of the skirt, she frowns. "Is the skirt trying too hard? Maybe jeans would be better . . . Chiyo, you said it would be cold -"