mikaishii

[mikaishii]

A tangle of emotion sat like a lead weight on Mika's chest, the words gagged behind the firm press of her lips. She was allowed to both understand and be frustrated, right? She'd already done the closet thing, and now she was living out loud. She didn't want to go back. She wouldn't go back.

But she also understood how safe it could feel, and everyone should have the opportunity to leave it on their own.

"Yeah," she said with a nod, crossing her arms loosely over her chest to stave off a creeping chill. "Yeah, I've got a couple of things this week, but just text me. We can figure something out." It all felt very non-committal, and as the door closed behind Mari, that chill in the air seemed to linger long after she'd already left.

end.

Mari flushed, her lips pressing together as her smile became forced, her chin tucking towards her chest so she didn’t have to look at Mika’s face as the reality settled in. Mari’s reality, at least, disturbing the bubble that had formed around them during their study session. She slid to the edge of the bed, pivoting her legs so her feet landed firmly on the ground, hands grasping at the edge of the bed. “Yeah,” she said, agreeing with Mika quietly. She’d like to stay - she’d like to be someone who could stay. Who didn’t worry about what her family expected of her, or if people knew what was going on behind the doors, or what they would think if they did. She hated that she couldn’t get out of her own head enough to just have a good time - instead how late she could stay, if Mika’s roommates would be back, if she’d be seen leaving all repeatedly pounding back to the front of her mind. But she couldn’t verbalize all of that - couldn’t verbalize any of it - to Mika. To anyone. “It’s late,” Mari said again as she looked back up to Mika, a blink of her widened eyes the only tell that maybe she wasn’t saying everything she’d like to before she pushed herself up to her feet. “Rain check, I guess? Maybe another night this week?” she suggested as she was gathering her things together, giving another glance over towards Mika.

#c: mari

[mikaishii]

Sam's idea was certainly not a bad one, and definitely one that Mika had considered in the past, but she wrinkled her nose a little, anyway. "I mean, I've thought about it, but I don't think I have the right... vibe, I guess, for a TikTok personality. I don't know the first thing about marketing myself or cultivating, like... a brand. I'd just be another voice shouting into an echo chamber. Don't get me wrong, it's a great idea, but I don't think for me it's actually sustainable. Isn't there a whole bunch of rules, too? Like what time of day you need to post and how often so that you show up in the algorithm. Too much work for me." She frowned. "Plus, I, uh. I'm on pretty thin ice with the dean, anyway. I'm sure he'd find a way to use it to throw me out of here and still spin it in his favor. I can't afford to sacrifice myself like that." She raised her brows as she looked Sam over. "If that's something you think you'd be good at, though..."

She nodded her head, and gave a small smile. She got it, of course she did. She saw stuff like that all the time, it sucked. But getting so carried away you got frustrated and over worked, and burning your own self out. Sam imagined that would be the opposite of what Mika wanted. "Don't be sorry," she said, shaking her head, "it's good to be passionate about things. It's something that you have that they don't." And that was a fact. "Have you thought about talking about all of this on tiktok or something? Things like this go viral all the time." Sam was partly joking, but it was also true. "Like … a girl has been missing for almost a year and what have the police been doing? And someone died during a school trip and it's been ruled murder. And meanwhile the Dean is getting some day time talkshow host to interview traumatized students, and now maybe even stealing money from charity?" She said all this with wide eyes, shaking her head. "I can't imagine people would not want to hear about all that."

#c: sam

[mikaishii]

Mika dramatically shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know," she hissed, throwing up her hands. "None of this makes sense! Why a hockey rink? Why were we supposed to meet up here? Why rave attire? Why a creepy anonymous stalker who's pretending to be your sister?" She blew out a heavy breath and reeled herself back in on the inhale. "Sorry, I'm just..." Another exhale, quieter this time, was the end of that sentence.

Just as she opened her mouth to make a suggestion, her phone chimed loudly in her pocket and she was fairly certain she heard Cara's, too, as she fished it out. But that could have been wishful thinking. Her eyes flew over G's newest text, a sour taste settling over her tongue and coating the back of her throat. "Well, that's half a mystery solved, I guess."

"Well, why would I do it?" Cara retorted, nostrils flaring as she glared at Mika, frustration and irritation at the entire situation being taken out on her ex - as was shortly called out, only irritating Cara more, which she confirmed by rolling her eyes. Previously, she would've probably be endeared by the outfit Mika had chosen, because she did look cute - and it's not even that it wasn't good for a rave. It just wasn't Cara's style, and she was in a bad enough mood that that was enough of a problem for her. "Well, so was I, so...let's figure out if there was more to this or if the sadistic bitch just wanted us to freeze to death," she said, another irritated huff of air leaving her lips. At least if she died, she looked totally fucking hot.

#c: cara #event: g's rave

[mikaishii]

"This week?" Mika asked, the question rhetoric as she glanced down at the now-crinkled flyer in her hand. "It's for the humane society." She wrinkled her nose as she felt the need to expand bubble up inside her like a natural reflex. "Like, all... whatever aside, I could go into the whole spiel if you actually care to hear it. Or you can just take my word that it's a genuine worthy cause."

"Depends," they say, drawing out the word. Now with both hands free, they stick them in the pockets of her hoodie, gaze never leaving Mika's. "What's the good cause?" A short pause. "I need to know what I'm saying yes to before I agree to leave my bed for something."

#c: anya

[mikaishii]

Mika nodded, Nixie's sentiment one that she understood all too well. She didn't think she had much in common with Nixie, but she appreciated the reminder that the human condition was a universal thing. She took Nixie's hand as a boost to stand, brushing off the back of her pants as her mouth curled suggestively to the side. "I don't know, I think it'd be wholly dependent on the situation." She shrugged and headed in the direction of the women's center. "That being said, I think we'll stick to paper."

Nixie's eyes drifted to follow after Mika's own, to the faded scrawling inked into her skin, something that had been important enough at the time to give it some form of permanence now forgotten. "Abnormal things do have a tendency to draw more attention." A fact they were all too well aware of, not that it seemed to have ever phased them. "If you planned on posting those somewhere, though, I think paper may be the course to stay." She rises back from her crouched position, hands extending in offering to either take the girl's own or the box, a more playful smile dancing its way onto her features. "I'm not sure how many people would enjoy being pinned up around campus."

#i tried to leave this in a place where it could be continued if you want or since it's old as god you could also end it if you wanted! #i'm down for either!! <3 #c: nixie

[mikaishii]

"It was... a very long time ago," she said with a shrug, avoiding direct eye contact as she busied herself with balancing the boxes in her hands instead of talking about a years' dead relationship that had never even been real in the first place. "It wasn't like we were together for a long time or anything. It's college, right?" An attempt to inject levity into the situation came at the price of a forced laugh, and she heard the stiltedness of it as it left her mouth. She hid her wince behind her hair as she spent more focus than she needed to on the boxes in her hand.

As she slipped past him and into the woman's center, his question drew her attention back to him again and she tilted her head in response. "Yeah, why?" she asked, though it was unnecessary as he continued and she paused, blinking several times. Sure, they had an extra unused bed, but why did it have to be Edward Morrison? Her situation with Cara had been complicated enough, and never mind the fact that simply being a Morrison was complicated on its own. No, she definitely didn't love this new arrangement. But she said none of that, simply offered a bland, if not a little surprised, face. "Wow, kind of late in the year for a room transfer, huh?" She smiled sweetly. "If you and Leaky try to turn it into a frat house, I'm telling you right now, I will take you out back."

He wasn’t surprised to learn that Mika and Cara’s relationship had come to a premature end. It seemed like all the relationships the Morrison children found themselves in tended to end sooner rather than later… Maybe they were too hard to deal with – too spoiled, too much baggage – or maybe they were just cursed or some shit... Either way, short-lived relationships seemed to be the one thing the three had in common. “Oh… I’m sorry to hear that.” His words held sort of an interrogative tone to it, almost as though he were asking her to guide his emotions about their break-up. Should he be sorry? Or should he be happy for her? Or for Cara, maybe? “I kind of didn’t know, you know?” He pointed out, referring to Cara’s bisexuality, unable to help but wonder about the impression Mika had about his relationship with his sister. “I’ve got to give it to her, it was pretty cool that she didn’t care about how they would react. Things definitely wouldn’t have gone the same way if it had been me.” Edward immediately regretted saying that, feeling a little scared Mika might have read between the lines. Whenever he was talking to someone who didn’t know, it felt like he was walking on eggshells, trying to hide something that would inevitably come out whether he wanted it or not.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Saved by the bell. If it hadn’t been for the notification popping up, he would’ve gone in a downward spiral about how Mika had found out he was bisexual and would run to tell Cara the minute they said goodbye. No, that was a panic attack for another moment. Now, they gladly had another, more important subject to discuss.

REMINDER: MOVE INTO 205-C (ALCOTT) IN 2 WEEKS.

“You live in Alcott, don’t you?” He pulled open the doors to the women’s center, moving away for her to walk in first. He didn’t mean to reinforce stereotypical gender roles, but manners really were kind of his thing. “I’m moving into your apartment in about two weeks. Should’ve started with that, I guess.”

#c: edward

[mikaishii]

Mika remained silent, listening as Link went on with a far more scrutinizing ear than she would have given anyone else. They seemed genuine enough so who was she to say no? "I'm not sure," she said, chewing on her lip. What was she doing over the summer? Spending a few months back at home with a big gay elephant in the room didn't exactly sound like a good time. "But either way, I'm going to trust that you're offering because you want to and not because you've got some scheme up your sleeve." She narrowed her eyes at him but that action was little more than a friendly jest. "I'm serious, Link. This place is my baby; it's probably the only reason why they haven't kicked me out of here yet. You swear to me that you're using your powers for good and I'll believe you. But I'll probably need a couple of days you can commit to to show you around, give you the whole download. That work for you?"

her slight pause wasn't unsurprising, considering what mika knew of him and has seen from him. link shakes his head, " i probably won't be going home this summer, and i'm usually killing myself during the finals so... maybe we can work something out over finals ? the only other thing i'd have on my schedule is my jobs, but they're flexible. so i want the full commitment, keep me busy in the summer. " he shrugs, looking over to mika. " are you around this summer ? if not, you can show me the ropes and all that before you leave. i just really... " wanna give back ? make up for all the damage he's inflicted and will probably continue to inflict in the future ? " i don't know, i wanna help out. "

#c: link

[mikaishii]

Ah, good. So she wasn't the only one who'd been strongarmed to be here. She'd only been fishing, but good to know.

Mika looked Nate over, noting that he looked a little... stressed? Which she could absolutely relate to, considering the circumstances. "I mean, I can only imagine we're here for a reason, right? And there's no way it's just for a party." She cast a quick glance around to make sure no one was listening in. "So, does that mean you also got... an invite?"

Nate glanced down at Mika, frowning as he stared at her, his thoughts moving even more slowly than normal as he reasoned through what she had said. "Fuck," he said, his fingers running over the scruff on his jaw again. He hadn't thought about it but if someone left, who knew what type of revenge G would unleash on them. Unless it was just him who had something hanging over his head from G.

Greer.

The Morrison's.

Were those all the same or were they different people?

Who fucking knew? (Certainly not Nate.)

Nate shook his head, not realizing Mika had asked him a question that he was know fundamentally answering incorrectly, too wrapped up in what the implications were for him. "What...you think we have to stay till the party is over?" he asked, his frown deepening as he continued starring down at Mika.

#c: nate #event: g's rave

[mikaishii]

Mika, for all her bravado when staring down the barrel of a metaphorical gun, faltered in situations like these. She wasn't good with the emotional stuff, had never learned how to cultivate that perfect balance of just enough.

Having her heart broken once was enough, thank you.

So, she was already put off by Parker's words, citing a familiarity that Mika didn't think they really had. Sure, there'd been that one night, but that was where it ended. And that was where she wanted it to stay.

Mika grabbed for a runaway pen before it could roll out of reach and tossed it into the box, blowing a strand of hair from her face as she looked at Parker with a smile that probably looked as forced as it felt. "As long as people keep no-showing on me," she remarked bitterly, eyes shifting to scan the mess she'd made before deciding she needed help more than she needed to be done with... whatever this was. She nodded her chin in the direction of the scattered stationary with a shrug. "You mind?"

parker's eyes had been trained on the person in front of her, enveloped in a conversation that was currently gaining wide eyes and enthusiastic back-and-forths. they'd both just come from the theater, respective arms and bags filled to the brim with notebooks, papers, and a stanley cup or two. mid-production periods were the worst, the redhead all but mentally checking out of classes and preferring to focus on, you know, the show at hand. but life continued onward, only further proven by someone nearby balancing an impressive amount of boxes.

had she not been in the middle of a conversation, parker would've offered to help—and perhaps she should've, anyway, given that the moment her eyes flickered away from the makeshift tower it all came tumbling down. suddenly, like a startled bird or deer, she was up. though, not to run away from the action, but approach it. within seconds she'd bent down to abandon her own things, already reaching for a couple papers before the familiar voice met her ears.

parker paused, frozen momentarily, before snapping back into it. "yeah," she then offered, continuing to grasp at stray papers until they were all gathered in her hands. only then did she approach mika, holding them out and giving a tight smile. "still refusing to take more than one trip?"

#c: parker

[mikaishii]

Nate shook his head no, but the entire rest of his body said yes. So Mika took that unspoken yes as her answer. She took him in carefully, eyeing the way he scrubbed at his jaw, the frown etched onto his face, and she knew he'd been forced here, too. "You know, the directions were a little unclear about that part, but I feel like they made us come here for a reason. And I don't think that reason was a rave." She paused and then shrugged. "Or, you know, who knows. Maybe they had a change of heart, and this is all one big apology. I know which one sounds more realistic to me, but I've been known to be wrong once or twice."

Nate glanced down at Mika, frowning as he stared at her, his thoughts moving even more slowly than normal as he reasoned through what she had said. "Fuck," he said, his fingers running over the scruff on his jaw again. He hadn't thought about it but if someone left, who knew what type of revenge G would unleash on them. Unless it was just him who had something hanging over his head from G.

Greer.

The Morrison's.

Were those all the same or were they different people?

Who fucking knew? (Certainly not Nate.)

Nate shook his head, not realizing Mika had asked him a question that he was know fundamentally answering incorrectly, too wrapped up in what the implications were for him. "What...you think we have to stay till the party is over?" he asked, his frown deepening as he continued starring down at Mika.

#c: nate #event: g's rave

[mikaishii]

Sam was so... sweet. She was sweet in ways that life had never afforded Mika. She'd had to be scrappy, had to fight for the things she deserved, and maybe that had made her jaded. But it was refreshing, made her pause and reconsider for a moment. She'd lean hard forever into the eat the rich mentality and a simple conversation with a freshman with a wide open heart wasn't going to change that but it was nice to be brought back down from time to time. "You're right," she agreed with a nod. "I just hate how much power people have if they can just pay enough for it. It puts everything in the wrong hands. It's an impossible giant to defeat, but I'm gonna keep slingshotting my rocks or whatever that one story from the bible is." She readjusted the box in her hands as they arrived to the building where the women's center sat three floors up. "Sorry," she said with a sheepish sort of laugh. "I know I can get kind of carried away sometimes."

"I guess somebody has to be the example that others should follow," Sam said. It wasn't that she wasn't involved in things herself, she liked to help people, it was just she was pretty sure she wouldn't really be ass passionate as Mika seemed to be about… everything she was passionate about. It seemed like a lot of things! She followed along next to Mika as they headed towards the women's center giving something of an understanding look. "I think to people like that even a little bit of money is a lot to them," she said, shrugging her shoulders, "Ebeneezer Scrooge and all that." Not that she was necessarily likening the Dean to Ebeneezer Scrooge, but … he did sell out his students out to some mediocre daytime tv show host for trauma porn. So, if the shoe fit. Though she gave a small shrug, adding a very gentle, "but there are jerks both with and without money."

#c: sam

[mikaishii]

"Why would I do that?" Mika asked, exasperated. She didn't shrink from Cara's gaze, though, staring right back. She crossed her arms tight across her chest. "When did I ever try to make you look bad?" Her anger flared indignantly even as something that felt suspiciously like guilt curled around her chest. Cara was wrong— mostly. Mika might have had ulterior motives when it came to the short-lived relationship that they'd had, but she'd never gone out of her way to make her look bad. She felt bad enough about trying to use her for connections! But before she could argue that point further, Cara had moved on to Mika's clothes again, and Mika's face fell into a frustrated frown. "I looked at Pinterest," she argued weakly. "This looked like it fit in fine." That was to say that, no, she hadn't been. "Don't take your mysterious text message anger out on me. I'm only here because I was told to be."

Staring at Mika, Cara took a few breaths to figure out what to say. Not that she wanted to say anything, an ex seriously the last person she was obligated to give an explanation to. Until Mika accused her of being the one behind it, an outraged scoff immediately falling from Cara's lips. "Or you're the one who sent them, and you're trying to make me look bad. Wouldn't be the first time," Cara said, the words coming out in a snarl - like she hadn't dated Mika, hadn't introduced her to her family with the very easy impression that she'd just piss off the Morrison's without even trying. But even if it had been Cara's plan back then, it still happened, so it counted. Lifting one hand, Cara brushed her hair, made longer by the extensions that had been matched to her outfit, over her shoulder, dragging her eyes over Mika's outfit again. "Have you ever been to a rave? You missed on the dress code a bit," she said, arms crossed over her chest, a shiver wracking her shoulders as she did so. The hockey rink was fucking cold, even more so considering how little clothing Cara had on.

#c: cara #event: g's rave

[mikaishii]

Mika rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I don't know," she muttered, her disdain for the majority of the students and their lifestyle clear. Her therapist would probably make her unpack that, tell her that her anger stemmed from something else because anger wasn't a real emotion or whatever. Her therapist was a crock and she'd stopped going a long time ago.

Link's question interrupted her inner ramblings and she blinked, looking up. She studied him for a long moment, some part of her hesitant because she knew him, but another part of her happy that he'd asked. Because she knew him. "Yeah," she said, a little breathless bewilderment woven through the word. "Yeah, if that's something you really want to do, we can work something out. Are you... looking for a low commitment thing?"

link lets out a soff at the last statement, and nods his head. " oh, don't worry, they'll care about it once there's a camera or media presence around. " that was one thing he could relate to there. though, he could see that the women's center was immensely important to mika, which was unsurprising, considering how close activism was to her heart. mika was someone to admire, really, knowing that she would go to great lengths to fight for what she believed in. it was something that link lacked, even if they did have the same ideas and belief systems. and lately, guilt and shame have been making more appearances this year than ever before. maybe, for once, link should put some good out in the world rather than just the bad. " — hey, do you think i'd be able to come and help out ? like, uh... volunteer work ? " did they just forget the term volunteer work for a second ? they might need to do this more than they knew.

#c: link

[mikaishii]

"Ughhhh, I just got this drink," Mika whined before looking up (and then up) into the face of the person she'd collided with. Nate was there, pupils blown and face flushed and she understood without needing to ask why he was so chill about the spill. Ha, that rhymed. "You and me both," she lamented. "But something tells me G wouldn't take too kindly to that. That is why you're here, isn't it?"

who: open when: somewhere around midnight where: the warehouse rave

Nate was hot. At least, he had taken enough molly that he felt hot, even in his cut off shirt with more than enough cut away under the arms that he shouldn't have. As he passed through the crowd of people, someone nearly crashed into him, their drink spilling down his chest, staining his white shirt. Instead of getting pissed off - he had hit people over less, let's be real - Nate just realized that was the perfect solution to deal with the molly induced overheating. Reaching for the hem of his shirt, he yanked it off over his head, tucking it into his back pocket when he realized he recognized the person who had spilled on him. "I want to get fucking out of here," he said, one hand reaching up and rubbing over his face.

#c: nate #event: g's rave

[mikaishii]

"You're not supposed to call me on my bluff before I even get a chance to try and come up with something on the fly. That's just ungentlemanlike behavior." She took his extended hand and stood, brushing dirt from the back of her pants, grinning at him as she nudged a box in his direction with the toe of his boot. "But, I have been told I'm a great bullshitter, so give me until we get to the women's center, and I'll knock your socks off. Probably."

If Nova truly was the gentleman that he so often claimed to be, it would reason that he'd be putting forth more of an effort, helping the girl that was creeping across the campus sidewalk rather than what he was doing — standing and watching the event unfold, features coated in clear amusement. Were they really to be blamed though? There was something undeniably entertaining and adorable in watching her chase after items that they would have merely considered a loss the instant they'd taken flight. "Sounds like this group of people is a group of assholes." Not that he was seeming much better in that instant — especially not when the offer slips from her lips. "Worth my while, hmm?" It's clear that interest has been piqued, brows lifting and tongue pressing into their cheek, as if they might be awaiting further explanation. Nevertheless, his hand extends, an offer to help her back onto her feet and ultimately, with the completion of her task. "I accept. If only to see how much of a liar you are." As if delighting them were really all that difficult.

#c: nova

[mikaishii]

Mika breathed out a snort that she thought sounded very much like agree to disagree, though had her hands not been full of rogue pens and papers, she likely would have leaned into the disagreement. As it was, though, Mika just smirked at Anya's question. "Why not both? Maybe I'm just a woman of many talents. The question is, is it working?"

"Emails are plenty personal," Anya retorts, almost before Mika has had the chance to finish her own sentence. But maybe she was just biased. Maybe she was just too lazy to ever consider printing out physical copies of something. Once they're back up to their full height, they extend the papers out for the other to take. She laughs. "Are you flirting with me, or are you just trying to shore up some goodwill so I'll go to your non-emailed event?"

#c: anya

[mikaishii]

Mika's gaze flattened, trying to figure out where exactly Cara's reticence to answer her question came from. Pushing aside her guilty conscience for the way things had ended up between them, Mika tried to look at it from a neutral standpoint. She was being cagey about the texts but she'd shown up at the hockey rink looking ready to rave so... she'd gotten texts she didn't want to tell Mika about. Or. She'd been the one to send them. "Because I got a text telling me to come here and to dress ready to rave. And you're here and you look ready to rave, so..." She dragged a piercing gaze down the length of her. "Either you got one too." A pause. "Or you're the one who sent it."

Cara's nostrils flared with distaste, scanning over Mika's outfit again. She was tempted to say yes - not because she wanted to get her naked (though she wouldn't mind, in all honesty), but because at least that would be more on theme for a rave. Instead, she just gave a shake of her head, before meeting Mika's eyes again. "Why would you think that?" she asked. A furrow briefly appeared between her brows, though Cara immediately smoothed her forehead out, her expression going back to neutrality - first, because she didn't want to show that she was already thrown off her game and second, because she didn't want to have the wrinkles to need botox at twenty-fucking-two.

#c: cara #event: g's rave