The Reckless and the Brave

[Kitty]

"AND on top of being cute, he sings!"

Her comment was closer to a scream than anything, though she was trying her hardest to keep quiet. She was more excited than she had ever been to tell Rina something. (Or at least, that's how it felt. In all honesty, she always found telling her friend stories to be a more than entertaining pass time.) At the present moment, she was meticulously brushing her hair. More than anything, she wanted to look her best. She even bothered to ask Rina to do her makeup for her and style her hair if she couldn't get it herself. No matter how much her shorter companion denied it, she had a definite knack for hair, makeup, and fashion in general.

"Is my outfit okay?" she asked once again, gazing deeply at her reflection in the full body mirror she had somehow managed to smuggle from home. For this occasion, she even decided a skirt was necessary (though she decided to wear black footless tights with it for general security). An off-white high low skirt that had a few flowers designed into the silky material flowed behind her. She adjusted the short-sleaved black bolero jacket that added a little extra to her plain black tank top. "Do you think I'm okay with flats, or does this call for heels?" She thought about it for a brief moment before declaring "It's not like I have too many opportunities to trip when doing karaoke at the game room, right?"

It wasn't a date. She kept reminding herself that this was simply a little get-together among the only two that openly admitted they loved to sing that resided in base. That fact alone made her wish all the more that it was a date. In order to deter her mind from the slight sting of disappointment, she asked Rina to accompany her. "I think you'll like Jin," she said in a sing-song tone. "Though, he might come on a little strong for you."

Of the two girls, Rina was certainly the less social. Granted, they were both terrors when together, but Rina took a longer amount of time to warm up to people. It was just one of the many factors that added on to how adorable she was. Adding on her naturally cute looks, her doll-like outfits, and her bright baby blues, she was pretty much the cutest person at base, if Kat did say so herself.

Kat was lucky enough to spend the most time with her out of everyone at base. The two had been childhood friends, stuck to each other like glue even before they knew of this organization's existence.It was natural that upon their entrance to the Sasayaita Namida they were made roommates and set a goal to explore every nook and cranny of this new place.

Another pact they had made to each other a long time ago: find attractive guys to…befriend. Since they had begun to develop hormones, they lamented to each other about their lack of love lives. Boys would come and go, hearts would break and repair, but so far, nothing was overly exciting.

The brunette's new interest was a suave, blue-haired assassin named Jin who she had officially met at a nearby cafe when he spilled a drink on himself. From the moment she noticed how physically attractive he was, she found herself melting into a giggly mess--especially since he actually talked to her and made the effort to make her smile. It was like a dream come true for him to ask her to karaoke. Now, here she was, making a huge deal out of it.

Rina had protested at first to coming along, insisting that alone time would be the better idea, but eventually agreed to being a physical and emotional support for Kat, helping her analyze any signs Jin would give her as to whether or not he was interested. Not only that, but the blonde certainly had to be interested as to what this guy was like. Kat was nearly positive that her friend was giving in more out of curiosity than anything.

"Fahhhh," she groaned, sitting down on the bed they both used (rather than being logical and sleeping one person to each bed, they preferred sleeping in the same bed out of slumber party ritual.) She turned to look at Rina, pouting slightly. "I don't know what I'm more torn up about. What pair of shoes to wear, of if he's gonna think I'm weird now that we're meeting up again."

[Rina]

“AND on top of being cute, he sings!” Kat all but squealed.

“Nyan, really?” Rina mewled back, shooting forward eagerly. Even if she seemed over excited, Rina had always supported Kat in her romantic endeavors, wishing nothing for her best friend but a guy who was equally as awesome as she was. Although it certainly meant competition for Rina (considering her and Kat agreed that if finding guys didn’t work out, they’d simply marry each other), she was willing to help Kat scout out guys that would make her happy. Seeing her all excited about a guy warmed her heart and made her smile.

Kat had to be one of the greatest people on earth as far as Rina was concerned. She couldn’t recall how many times Kat was there in times of need as either a shoulder to cry on or an endless supply of jokes to rid the sting of a rough day. Although she never saw it, Kat had an amazing personality with an appearance to match. Rina had always marveled at the way her chocolaty hair always fell perfectly without the help of a curling or straightening iron (although all Kat ever did was complain about how her hair “didn’t do anything”) and admired her perfect hour-glass figure that was sure to get any man’s attraction.

“Is my outfit okay?” Kat asked again, appraising her reflection in the mirror.

Rina slid off their bed (because they had become accustomed to sharing one) and scurried over to her friend, wrapping her arms around her neck. “Nya, you look perfect,” she purred, giving her a squeeze. “Honestly,” she pursued, taking a step back to scan her outfit, “you look like a model,” she chirped with a smile.

“Do you think I’m okay with flats, or does this call for heels?” Kat questioned. After pondering for a brief moment, she declared, “It’s not like I have too many opportunities to trip when doing karaoke at the game room, right?”

Rina scrunched her nose—her typical thinking face. “Mm,” she hummed, thoughtfully tapping on her chin with her index finger, “I’d say go for heels, they make your legs look good.” She winked before adding, “But just not pumps. That’s trying too hard and complete overkill.”

“I think you’ll like Jin,” Kat cooed. “Though, he might come on a little strong for you.”

Rina grimaced. “Ehh,” she whined slightly, sitting back on the bed. “I guess I can handle it,” she admitted. Although she was completely against the idea of being a third wheel, for Kat, she’d go through with anything. (Well, maybe not everything. Heights and spiders were strictly off limit as either one could make her burst into a pathetic heap of tears.) And besides, Rina had to make sure that this “Jin” was a suitable guy for Kat. After all, she wouldn’t give away her best friend to just any guy. No, this guy had to be an angel for Rina to surrender Kat and even then it’d be tough.

Rina and Kat were practically inseparable. Being friends before their acceptance into the Sasayaita just ensured that they would stick together as partners in crime for the rest of their lives. Rina wasn’t necessarily fond of other people, but with Kat, she was never opposed to having her in her company. In all actuality, Kat was the only person Rina could handle for long periods of time. Everyone else just bored her or annoyed her if they stuck around for too long. Rina liked people, but only in moderation.

“Fahhhh,” Kat groaned, sitting down on the bed beside Rina.

Rina didn’t bother to move—that was too much work. The two had grown so close that even in the most awkward of poses, they weren’t bothered by each other’s closeness. In fact, it had just become daily routine for the two; Rina crawling over Kat in the morning to retrieve her glasses off of the nightstand, Kat resting her head on Rina’s shoulder instead of using a pillow, Kat attempting to pick Rina up for the hell of it..(to which Rina would promptly respond with shrieks and yelling due to the fact that she hated being picked up for fear of being dropped).

“I don’t know what I’m more torn up about. What pair of shoes to wear, or if he’s gonna think I’m weird now that we’re meeting up again.”

Rina drew her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. After smoothing down the pleats of her dress, she turned and smiled warmly at Kat. “Either way he’s going to fall head over heels for you,” she admitted. “After all…” she pounced at her friend, cuddling her in a hug. “Yew so cutee~” she cooed in a high pitch voice that only Kat could tolerate. “Seriously though,” she pursued, returning to her previous position, “You’re amazing and everything’s going to go right," she concluded with a smile.

[xJaxx]

“Ya know, I always thought of myself as a dog person until I met Kitten, Siagyo,”

Jin’s mouth was curled into an amused smirk as he rummaged around the drawers of his dresser for a clean shirt. He wasn’t necessarily the most methodical person when it came to clothes—and his room for that matter—yet he knew exactly where everything was located in his organized mess. (Or at least he liked to think that he did). After finding his most beloved shirt—a plain white shirt with a powder blue tribal detail on the front—he tugged it on, carefully avoiding disheveling his hair or his hat. If there was one thing in his entire life that had to be perfectly kept, it was definitely his hat—his hair in close second.

“You should really come along,” Jin invited, pausing his search of clothing articles to glance at his new partner. Out of the kindness of his heart, Jin wanted to bring him along. After all, this guy was the deadest of deadpans out there. He needed to be shown a good time.

“It’ll be a great opportunity to get to know the “secret weapons”,” Jin pursued, finding his belt and looping it through the loops of his jeans. “And you might score one—after all, Rina’s going to be the third wheel~” he cooed, offering a sly wink to his partner.

Making his way to the mirror on his dresser, Jin smoothed down his bangs, taming the fly-aways with his fingers. Satisfied with his charming good looks, he winked into the mirror before drawing himself away. Turning around, he leaned on the dresser and diverted his attention back to his partner. “It’d be best to accept my invitation before you get to see the side of me you don’t want to see,” he promised darkly.

“Now, if you don’t mind,” he spoke up pleasantly, standing erect. “Get your ass outta bed so we can woo the girls, already!”

[Monsieur Zebra]

“Ya know, I always thought of myself as a dog person until I met Kitten, Siagyo,”

"Hn..."

There were plenty of things in the world that Siagyo cared about. He enjoyed sitting outside on a starry-skied evening. Crafting things out of wood was his favorite pass time. Staring at flowers as they grew and became more and more beautiful was practically a hobby. There was one thing in the world that he just couldn't bring himself to care about: Jin's social life.

He talked about it far too often, first of all. It was always "Kitten" this, "old man" that. For someone like him who didn't necessarily care for pointless prattle, it was exceedingly hard to take. Since he had moved into base, his headache relief medication intake seemed to triple from what it once was. He usually didn't take over the counter medicine, but he was beginning to find it necessary, practically becoming addicted to the brief sense of relief it provided him from that obnoxious, pompous idiot that a cruel hand of fate had dealt to him.

“You should really come along,”

The idea nearly made him sneer in disgust. However, he maintained his typical stone-cold front as he replied with pointed words.

"Though I do appreciate your offer," he drawled with the taste of sarcasm on his tongue, "I couldn't accept. I wouldn't want to get in the way of your escapades," he all but growled.

There were plenty of people in the world that Siagyo had at least the slightest bit of tolerance for. The only person he could think of that was an exception to that: Jin.

There was something about his stupid hat, his self-centered mannerisms, and his smug smirk that just melted together to relentlessly irk him. He had never imagined that so many qualities would so easily roll up together and form into such an obnoxious being. Then, he met his "partner" and realized that he had practically damned himself to living hell by joining this organization and saying that he was accepting of having a roommate.

Countless nights, Siagyo looked up at his ceiling as he tried to fall asleep and prayed that this was all a joke and the Leader would walk in and admit that Jin was just a test of his mental strength. He would shake his hand and somewhat apologize for the abject torture, promising him that he would be placed in a single room within the next hour.

“It’ll be a great opportunity to get to know the “secret weapons”,”

At this, Sia's attention was grabbed. Jin had a bad habit of mentioning all the pointless details first, then saying something worth while. This time, it was the fact that he would be able to meet the infamous "secret weapons" of base. He certainly had heard tell of them from the other members--including Jin. They were seemingly harmless girls, both of short stature and weak countenance. However, the strange powers they possessed were supposedly incredibly potent and able to cause a lot of damage. Considering he had plenty of questions about his own powers, conversing with people who apparently used theirs so fluidly didn't sound like an entirely bad idea.

“And you might score one—after all, Rina’s going to be the third wheel~”

Ignoring his partner's last statement, he stretched his arms outward, preparing his body to move after having been idle for so long. "It would help getting acquainted to them one day," he admitted slowly. "Just not today," he added with a shrug. It was getting late in his books and it was about time to get some shut-eye. As soon as Jin left, he would slip on his night clothes and submit to a well-deserved slumber.

He watched hopelessly as Jin pried himself away from his own reflection.
“It’d be best to accept my invitation before you get to see the side of me you don’t want to see,” he promised darkly.

There was something undoubtedly psychotic about Jin. Siagyo wasn't exactly afraid of it, but it was a bit concerning that he was sleeping in the same room as someone who could undoubtedly snap at any time. Thankfully, he was a light sleeper. Perhaps that was why he was the one chosen to suffer the fate of having Jin as a roommate. With a groan, he gave Jin a look that read "you're serious about this, aren't you?" The next words that were practically sung out of the blue-haired man's mouth affirmed his silent questioning.

“Now, if you don’t mind, Get your ass outta bed so we can woo the girls, already!”

With great reluctance, he grumbled a submitting "Fine..."
The moron didn't seem like he would let him off the hook this time and the last thing he wanted to do was delay this whole process. The sooner he went downstairs, the sooner he could wait until Jin was thoroughly immersed in entertaining this "kitten" of his, excuse himself from the party, get back upstairs, and to bed.

[Kitty]

"Nyan, really?"

"Yeah! I was like, nyahhhh! I didn't think people were actually made that perfect, you know?"

There was nothing that she wasn't comfortable admitting to Rina. The two had already admitted much stranger to each other. They both had their less than normal quirks, but that was what made their friendship so much more fun. They always whined about how boring their lives were, but at the same time, they had countless adventures together that the average person definitely could not boast. She felt Rina's arms wrap around her neck in a sort of playful, yet comforting hug. It caused a smile to tug at her lips, watching her friend's reflection join hers in the mirror.

“Nya, you look perfect,”

"Be honest!" she whined with a small furrow of her brows. Rina always had a tendency to exaggerate whenever she asked for her opinions on an outfit/how she looked. It was almost as if their closeness blinded Rina to all of the elder companion's flaws. Kat, however, saw her flaws more than any potential good quality. She tried her hardest to leave the negative behind her when she started this new life, but at moments like this, it always seemed to creep back up and tug at her heartstrings and threaten to prick her eyes with self-conscious tears.

“Honestly, you look like a model,”

"Nyaa," she mewed with a slight blush. How Rina always managed to look at her so seriously and deliver such embarrassing compliments was beyond her. Granted, she was always ready with a string of compliments for her undoubtedly gorgeous friend, but she just couldn't understand how anything positive could so easily be directed at her appearance. However, as she had often been told to be more gracious about accepting compliments, she sheepishly smiled and said, "Thanks." At the moment, her shoe crisis was more concerning.

“Mm, I’d say go for heels, they make your legs look good. But just not pumps. That’s trying too hard and complete overkill.”

"Sounds good," she sang as she plucked a pair of shiny black sandals with a slight heel to them off of her shoe rack and slipped her feet into them, tugging the backs into their proper place on her foot. She trusted any fashion advice Rina had and she knew that if the shoes weren't right, her friend would be sure to let her know before they headed down.

“Ehh, I guess I can handle it,”

"I owe you one," she replied a bit more seriously, smiling sincerely. "It means a lot." She knew that Rina didn't like being put on the spot in social situations. Kat's tolerance for this sort of thing was a lot higher. Hell, half the time she had to order Rina's food for her at restaurants because she preferred to not have to tell the waitress what she wanted herself. For her to actually agree to tag along on this date-but-not probably took a lot on Rina's part.

Plopping down beside her friend, she briefly lowered her head to her friend's shoulder, nuzzling her in an almost cat-like fashion. It was a sign of affection that, would the two not have been so close, would have been incredibly strange. However, after spending nights in unspeakably awkward positions (such as Rina's hand in her mouth), she didn't want to hear a word about "weird" or "awkward" signs of affection.

Kat was on the brink of a headache with all the thoughts she was having. Was Jin taking this quite as seriously as her? Was she being stupid about this? Was she already in the friend zone (a place she was sadly all too familiar with)?

“Either way he’s going to fall head over heels for you. After all…Yew so cutee~”

Somehow, the stuff Rina said always meant the most to her. She smiled, letting out a small meowing sound as she returned her friend's hug. It always made her smile when Rina displayed affection through hugs and the like. Of the two of them, Kat was definitely the more touchy-feely. Rina preferred her personal bubble to not be breached and, although her and Kat were very close, it took a lot of self-control for the brunette to respect her friend's personal preference and not cuddle her 24/7.

“Seriously though, You’re amazing and everything’s going to go right,"

"How you always know what to say is beyond me," Kat murmured, fighting back her sensitive inclinations to tear up. "Enough feels for now, though," she insisted, giving Rina a final cling before pulling herself to her feet and fixing her skirt. Offering her hand and a smile to Rina, she winked. "Time to head down, I guess," she purred, riddled with both excite and uncertainty.

[Rina]

“Yeah! I was like, nyahhhh! I didn’t think people were actually made perfect, ya know?

Rina smiled before offering a nod and a quiet “Mm,” in agreement. Considering the two of them had pretty high expectations, it was hard to characterize someone as “perfect”. For Kat, it was a little easier for her to consider someone perfect due to the pure fact that she often forced herself to accept lower standards because that was more realistic than the flawless guy, but at the same time, she knew perfect—or close to perfect—when she met it. This Jin guy had to be pretty special.

“Be honest!” Kat whined, skeptically furrowing her eyebrows.

Rina shook her friend’s shoulders. “I ammmm,” she whined in reply. Most of the time, Kat didn’t believe her if she complimented her. Even though Rina never delivered false compliments solely to make the receiver feel better about themselves, Kat never took her too seriously. She knew her friend could be extremely self-conscious, but in her opinion, the brunette bombshell didn’t need to be.

“Nyaa,” Kat mewed, flustered. “Thanks.”

Rina nodded, smiling in victory. She was slowly but surely getting her friend to take compliments. It was just a matter of time until she started believing them, too.

“Sounds good, “ Kat cooed, tugging on her pair of black sandals.

Rina nodded out of approval. Kat had about a million pairs of shoes—her shoe to articles of clothing ratio being completely outrageous—but she always seemed to know what pair to wear for what occasion. Granted, she’d change her mind about fifty times, trying a pair on, looking in the mirror, uttering “ehh,” or “mm” before changing her shoe choice and repeating the process until she finally settled on a shoe she was content with. But, of course, her choice had to get past Rina’s watchful gaze before she even stepped out of their bedroom. Rina was a bit of a fashion nazi, making sure both herself and her friend were dressed appropriately for every occasion. (But sometimes, Rina’s appropriateness was rather off—such as her habit to wear cute dresses and nice shoes on a mission, to which Kat would dress equally as fancy, and they’d be forced to spend their journey through the woods tip-toeing around patches of mud and dirt, squealing when they got a smudge on their shoe.)

“I owe you one,” Kat responded rather seriously, adding, “It means a lot,” with a genuine smile.

“Yeah, you do owe me one!” Rina huffed, scrunching her nose up in distaste. She disliked social events and would rather opt out of a huge party to spend alone time with Kat in front of a television screen or simply going on exploring adventures. Rina always felt awkward in a huge crowd as if she were being drowned out by the commotion of it all. (And being as short as she was, it wasn’t hard for her to get lost in the crowd.) But knowing how much the “date” meant to Kat, Rina reluctantly complied for the pure sake of being emotional and physical support for her friend. In the end, she was just hoping that Kat and Jin would get so lost in each other’s presence, that she’d be able to slip away early to retire back to her room to stretch or perhaps find her sketch book to start doodling again. She was sure Kat wouldn’t mind once everything was smooth sailing. Rina had already come up with the excuse, “I had to use the bathroom, and when I came back, you guys looked like you were having so much fun, I didn’t want to disturb you!” She knew her friend would be able catch her fib, but at the same time, she was sure Kat would be grateful. (Perhaps after some squealing and shoving, of course.)

Kat plopped down beside her, nuzzling her neck. Rina had had more awkward encounters with her friend in the past that it simply didn’t faze her, anymore. After briefly laying her head on top of Kat’s in a sign of affection, she straightened herself with a smile. Rina certainly wasn’t the touchy-feely type, but she was all for a cuddle every once in a while.

“How you always know what to say is beyond me,” Kat murmured.

Rina scrunched her nose (a habit of hers that she picked up from her father that signified many different meanings depending on its context) and smiled. She didn’t completely agree with Kat’s statement, but at the same time, she appreciated the fact that her friend thought of her as able to say the right things. Rina shrugged nonchalantly and smirked. “It comes with the package,” she cooed playfully.

“Enough feels for now, though,” Kat said, giving her friend a final cling. She stood up and offered her hand to Rina. “Time to head down, I guess.”

“I guess so.” Rina reluctantly rose and smoothed the skirt of her babydoll dress before tying the bow around her waist. She decided on a simple tiered lace dress to compliment Kat’s outfit (they often coordinated outfits because they saw themselves as a package deal) and smoothed out her pair of white tights around her Mary Janes. Kat was always the model of the two and Rina was always the doll that Kat carried around. Rina liked it that way, though.

With a smile, Rina took Kat’s hand. “Can’t make you late for a very important date,” she cooed like the hopeless Alice in Wonderland lover she was. “C’mon, let’s get you going,” she laughed, tugging her friend toward the door.

[xJaxx]

“Though I do appreciate your offer,” Siagyo cooed sarcastically, “I couldn't accept. I wouldn't want to get in the way of your escapades,” he almost growled.

Jin quirked an eyebrow. What was with this guy? He was either a complete deadpan, or an endless story of misery, no happy medium. Hell, there wasn’t even a content medium with this guy! “What crawled up your ass?” Jin barked back, tugging his shirt down over his perfectly chiseled stomach. “You’re never happy,” He muttered, diverting his gaze from his partner to scan the floor of the bedroom in search of his belt.

“It would help getting acquainted to them one day, just not today.”

As Jin pried himself away from the mirror after fixing his hair, he offered Siagyo a “promise” he couldn’t refuse. He almost anticipated Siagyo to decline the invitation despite Jin’s warnings until his burly partner looked up, casting a glance that questioned Jin’s seriousness about the whole situation. Of course he was new enough to not be fully aware that despite the fact that Jin seemed flippant, he was usually serious—well, he happened to be serious when chicks were involved with the equation, but oftentimes he could be serious in other situations as well.

Jin fixated his gaze on his partner, an unwavering look that said, “Do I look like I’m serious?” to which the undoubted answer was, “Yes”. After offering his resolute glance that gave the insight that he was to be taken seriously, he was itching to leave, rousing his partner to get his ass out of bed. To his surprise, Siagyo responded with a disgruntled—if not completely pissed off—“fine”.

Situating his hat meticulously on his head, he advanced toward the door. He wanted to get to the game room early—after all, nothing excited a chick more than seeing such a flawless man such as himself already standing before her as soon as she enters the room. Besides, Jin was only punctual for one thing: the ladies. Like hell if he’d ever show up early to an appointment with other men. That was just creepy.

“I’m leaving so we can get there before the girls,” Jin announced with his hand on the doorknob. “If I don’t hear you following after me—and trust me, I have good hearing—I’ll turn right around and pull your vocal cords out of your throat and tie them in a neat little bow around your neck, got it?” he warned over his shoulder with a pleasant smile.

Clearing his throat, he adjusted his hat once more and turned the knob, pulling the door open. “Oh, and don’t be such a deadpan when we get there,” he advised. “No one likes a deadpan, especially not the chicks.”

With that, he left the bedroom to venture down to the game room, which was conveniently just off of the den; all the while listening for Siagyo’s footsteps behind him. Maybe if he was lucky, he’d end up scoring the girl of his dreams or get his partner to actually enjoy himself and not be as miserable and annoying as hell. In all actuality, Jin much rathered the first outcome, but if the latter happened as well, then it would be for the best interests of everyone (especially for him). The damn guy was like a large, brooding wall that had legs and constantly carried around a dark raincloud. To be frank, he cramped Jin's style.

“You’d better not scare the kitten away or I’ll kill you~” Jin sang to Siagyo (because if the wall knew what was best for him, he’d already be following and trying to lighten up his mood) as he opened the sliding door to the game room and promenaded inside.

With a content smirk after realizing that they had indeed gotten to the room first, he walked over to the sofa parallel to the television and sat on the arm of the couch, waiting for his little kitten to arrive.

[Monsieur Zebra]

"What crawled up your ass?"

He brushed off the remark easily, not even granting it a response. Normally he wasn't nearly so bitter, but Jin just seemed to bring out the worst in him. It was hard to not be constantly irritated when living with such a pain in the ass. The idiot was loud-mouthed, constantly talking about things that didn't matter in the slightest. He insisted that Siagyo was stoic and dull, but really, Jin was just far too flamboyant.

"You're never happy,"

Shrugging, he touched his tongue to the back of his piercing. He didn't feel as if Jin deserved a response. The comment was somewhat offensive, but he knew that anything this guy said was not to be taken too seriously. Truthfully, he did have times of happiness. He found joy out of the beauty in the world, as "girly" and "romantic" as that sounded. It was something about himself that he dared not admit to anyone--that went double for Jin. He wanted as little to do with his partner as possible. A personal connection was not something he found necessary in the least.

“Do I look like I’m serious?”

Letting a slow exhale pass noisily out his nose, he closed his eyes, trying to contain the ache that was slowly beginning to form in his head. Waving his white flag and popping two ibuprofen in his mouth, he swallowed hard and hoped for the best. Lazily running his fingers through his hair, he looked in the mirror. Wanting to at least make a decent impression on the "secret weapons" in order to perhaps pick their brain at a later date about "special abilities," he quickly gave himself a once-over examination.

His hair was falling into place as usual, which was at least a good sign. His clothes, though slightly wrinkled from the day's wear, were still relatively neat. Siagyo was accustomed to being the owner of a business and it's prime employee, so his clothes were both professional and functional. At the moment, he wore a pair of black slacks that were particularly easy to move in and a simple white dress shirt. His labret, as usual, was a silver stud that served slight decorative purposes. Jin's voice snatched him away from his reflection.

“I’m leaving so we can get there before the girls. If I don’t hear you following after me—and trust me, I have good hearing—I’ll turn right around and pull your vocal cords out of your throat and tie them in a neat little bow around your neck, got it?”

Letting out a low-pitched grumble, he prayed to whoever was listening that his headache medication would kick in sooner rather than later. Though he did not doubt that Jin would attempt such foolish violence, he was not particularly afraid of him. There was just something so...small about him. Siagyo was a few inches taller and quite a bit bulkier than his scrawny, slim-to-an-almost-feminine-point partner.

“Oh, and don’t be such a deadpan when we get there,” he advised. “No one likes a deadpan, especially not the chicks.”

"I'll do my best," he drawled with fake sincerity, following a stride or two behind the other. Jin's nonstop comments about how "deadpan" he was were always overdramatic and exaggerated. He had plenty of emotions; he just didn't like to express them outwardly. At the moment, he was feeling irritated for no reason other than Jin. If Jin were not in the picture, he would be entirely content. He didn't plan on being quite so bitter around anyone else in this household. Jin just brought out the worst in him.

“You’d better not scare the kitten away or I’ll kill you~”

Siagyo simply nodded, not caring whether or not the other actually noticed that he bothered to respond. With dull interest, he watched him slide a door open and light up with delight. Apparently, they had met his goal of beating "the ladies" to the game room. He continued to trail behind Jin as he perched like a vulture on the arm of a couch. Unsure of what to do with himself, he sat on the complete opposite side of the couch that Jin occupied.

As he sat back, he was impressed by how soft the couch cushions were. As well as remarkably comfortable, this piece of furniture was long enough to easily fit perhaps five or six people. Even he would be able to lay down and have additional room--that was something that didn't happen too often with couches. Now, the challenge was to remain awake as he waited for the others to arrive and the chance to leave.

[Kitty]

“I ammmm,”

Crinkling her nose in order to mock and mirror her friend, she stuck out her tongue playfully. The two of them always play fought, but had never once been in a serious, friendship-threatening fight. That was what made their relationship so functional. Little toss-ups (serious or not) were natural in a relationship. Since Rina was practically her girlfriend, she liked their playful little spats; it kept her on her toes and let her know that they were doing something right by choosing to spend so much time together.

Even though they were practically attached at the hip, things never got boring--that's what made their friendship so perfect. Other friends in her life had come and gone, but Rina was always there. She was someone that she could always count on--even in situations like this, where she knew that the little blonde would undoubtedly feel uncomfortable.

“Yeah, you do owe me one!”

"Yeah, yeah," she cooed in response. Honestly, she did owe her. Kat remembered going to birthday parties for Juli (now Rina) when they were younger and how out of place she felt amongst all of her companion's other friends. She couldn't help but feel weird sensations of jealousy and loneliness, watching as all the others interacted with one another while she sat, consumed in her own shyness, off to the side. The first or second party, she felt awkward to the point of leaving early. It wasn't until she grew older and slightly more outgoing that she allowed herself to have a good time. Not only that, but after years of deep, late-night conversations that involved a lot of crying, she knew that she had a special place in her friend's heart--just as her friend had in her heart.

"It comes with the package,"

"Pretty much," she agreed, poking her in the side. "Thankfully, I have you at my disposal," she added with a wink. Rina was pretty much her own personal pep talk machine. It really helped her to get back in good spirits. Even after having bad days at work or dealing with her mom when she was in a mood, Rina always managed to get her smiling and laughing again.

"I guess so."

With those words, Kat suddenly felt shit get real. She was about to head downstairs and encounter Jin again. Reminding herself that she wasn't heading toward a date, but rather to the game room for a friendly round of karaoke, she swallowed in an attempt to get rid of the butterflies. When it came to dealing with guys, she was actually pretty shy. Her cheeks were starting to heat up as she stood there, consumed in nervousness.

“Can’t make you late for a very important date,”

The Alice in Wonderland reference was enough to bring the smile back to light her face. "If you're the white rabbit, who am I?" she asked playfully, quickly grabbing a bottle of perfume off the dresser and coating herself in a purple-colored body spray that she had been using steadily for the past month or so (though her body spray collection was seemingly infinite and included many scents). As she all but threw the bottle down, she felt Rina tug her toward the door.

“C’mon, let’s get you going,”

"Okay, okay," she mewed, walking out with Rina and closing the door behind them. As they headed down toward the game room, she felt her heartbeat pounding in her chest with anxiousness. With a quick squeeze on Rina's hand and a deep inhale and exhale, she slid the door open and entered the game room.

[Rina]

“Yeah, yeah,” Kat cooed in reply.

If it had been anyone else brushing her off like that, Rina would’ve found herself in a provoked fury (as she had a bit of a temper over stupid things), but with Kat, she found herself scrunching her nose in a playful response. They had stupid little spats that were far from anything serious, but that just came with the territory. It made their friendship more interesting, if not helped them form an even tighter bond.

“Pretty much,” Kat agreed, poking her in the side.

Upon contact, Rina squealed, shrinking away from Kat’s finger and sticking out her tongue in defense. She was extremely ticklish—especially her side and neck—and her friend knew of that, occasionally using that to her advantage or just to get a kick out of Rina’s reactions. Depending on Rina’s laziness, she’d either squeal and run away or simply squeak and reel away, and today, she was feeling quite lazy. “Nya, don’t do that,” she complained, wrapping her arms around her waist and pouting in discontent.

“Thankfully, I have you at my disposal,” she continued with a wink.

“You make it seem as if I’m a tissue,” Rina complained, pretending to wipe away a tear from her eyes, yet carefully avoiding her upper lash line. If she accidently bumped her trademark cat-eyeliner, no doubt it would create a huge smudge on her face that would take some elbow grease and makeup removing wipes to get off. Although she loved her makeup, sometimes it was a pain in the butt.

“If you’re the white rabbit, who am I?” Kat asked, spritzing some perfume on herself.

Rina choked on the perfume, fanning her face with her hand in hopes of clearing up the concentration of fragrance. “Alice,” she coughed in response. “You’d be Alice.”

“Okay, okay,” Kat mewed once they were ready, walking out and closing the door.

Rina trailed behind in careful steps, carefully tiptoeing behind her friend. Returning Kat’s squeeze, she briefly rested her head on her shoulder as a silent pep-talk before Kat drew the door to the game room open and stepped inside. Rina followed directly behind her, not wanting to blatantly intrude, and slightly poked her head out from behind her friend’s shoulder.

[xJaxx]

Jin perked up as he heard footsteps approaching the door. Throwing his arm back, he snapped frantically at Siagyo in a gesture that screamed “Look alive!” or “Here they come!” depending on how his partner took it. Straightening his hat and smoothing his bangs away from his eyes, he leaned his elbows forward on his knees and offered a casual smile. His whole pose just screamed, “Allow me to introduce myself as Mr. Sexy.”

As the door stood open, it revealed none other than his dearest little Kitten, a brunette bombshell who he decided from the first day—an embarrassing day when he spilled his drink on his pants that made both him and his man parts scream—that he’d set out to make her his. Of course, he knew it’d only come easy considering he was an irresistible hunk of a man that women found hard to keep their hands off of. (Well, lately he wasn’t getting any because he was trapped at base because the Old Man was having a midlife crisis or something, but he was sure if he were to venture out to the nearby village, girls would fall head over heels for him.)

With a quiet hum of approval, he allowed his eyes to briefly roll over her. There was no doubt she was an attractive woman. She had curves in all the right places, with a soft face, big hazel eyes framed by dark lashes, and cascading chocolate hair. Not to mention her smile—God her smile. Her beauty was just about unrivaled. Although he did come close, if he did say so himself.

Jin leaned forward and gaining the momentum from his shift in position stood erect. With slow, tantalizing steps, he made his way over to her. “Hey, Kitten,” he cooed, snatching her hand and placing a delicate kiss on it, “I was afraid you wouldn’t show,” he continued smoothly, offering a smirk. Glancing over her shoulder, he noticed the familiar blond half of his kitten that he wished wouldn’t tag along, but knew would appear, anyway.

“’Sup, Shadow,” he acknowledged nonchalantly with a slight head nod before directing his attention back to the more interesting woman. “You certainly look—“ he paused, avoiding the use of the term ‘banging’ before continuing with, “absolutely beautiful.” He allowed his lips to curl into a dazzling smirk. “As always,” he added sweetly. He knew she was practically melting from his charm. After all, if he met himself, he’d probably drip into a puddle as well.

“My ears have been hurting, recently,” he cooed, leading Kat over to the couch by her hand. “But I’m in luck because you sing like an angel,” he concluded, offering her a wink. He inwardly complimented himself. He was smooth, perhaps smoother than lotion on a baby’s butt. Well, okay, no, that was weird. But he was a sweet-talker, nonetheless.

“Why don’t you take a seat while I set the machine up?” he suggested, releasing her hand after another brief kiss on her knuckles. He strode around the table to the television, where the latest gaming counsels were all set up in a tangled mess of wires and controllers. He half cursed himself for not straightening out the jumble beforehand. Situating his hat on his head once more, he bent down to tend to the mess.

“Oh, the brooding dude at the edge of the couch is Siagyo,” he spoke absentmindedly while his hands worked at untangling the wires. “He doesn’t bite—well, not that I know of, so don’t feel too weird.” offered with a chuckle. Glancing over his shoulder, he smiled at her, “Or you can pretend it’s just you and me, if you want,” he suggested.

[Monsieur Zebra]

The footsteps coming down the steps were very careful, as if they were afraid of tumbling downward. Siagyo raised his eyebrow as Jin turned to him with a nearly frantic look. He was apparently quite excited at the fact that the "chicks" were about to make their appearance. With slight amusement, he watched as Jin thrashed about, fixing himself up one last time as the footsteps drew closer and closer. It was like watching someone try and dismantle a ticking time bomb. When the door slid open, he was almost positive Jin was going to explode (though he would not have minded much if he did). Siagyo twisted his body sideways, looking toward the doorway in order to get a better view.

In the doorway stood a short brunette who seemed to have taken a lot of time and effort in grooming herself for this occasion. The pinkish tint of her cheeks let Siagyo to believe that she was anticipating this almost as much as Jin, though he couldn't begin to imagine why anyone would want to spend more time than necessary with that guy. Her stride was proportionate to her height--very short. Perhaps she was walking strangely, but he could almost hear two pairs of feet shuffling somewhat nervously forward.

Then, Jin transformed into a person Siagyo had never seen before.

“Hey, Kitten,”

Sia's eyes all but widened as he watched as he gently took her hand, placing a kiss on the back of it.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t show,”

The smug look on his face told Siagyo otherwise. Jin was perfectly confident on how taken this woman was with him. At the same time, he did have to give his "partner" credit: he was actually behaving like a gentleman for about one minute straight now--an all-time record, so it seemed. Maybe this "secret weapon" really was something special to him. Siagyo turned his attention back to the woman, giving her a brief once-over. Though he appreciated the certain charm about her, he couldn't see what was quite so interesting about her that allowed her to tame a beast like Jin.

“’Sup, Shadow,”

For a beat, Siagyo's jaw nearly dropped. He was certain that Jin was outwardly displaying his psychotic symptoms to a woman he was apparently smitten with. With a look of pure confusion, he stared at Jin in bewilderment. Then, he saw a pair of glistening blue eyes peek out from behind the brunette. So she brought a friend with her as well? Perhaps that was the other "secret weapon."

“You certainly look—“

He almost expected the pause in Jin's sugary sweet compliment string. After all: he was inherently stupid. Trying to impress a woman with his vocabulary was probably very difficult.

“absolutely beautiful. As always,”

Nearly gagging at how hard Jin was trying, he rolled his eyes, considering sinking back down into his seat in order to comfortably divert his gaze from the "sweetness" before him.

“My ears have been hurting, recently,” he cooed, leading Kat over to the couch by her hand. “But I’m in luck because you sing like an angel,”

As Jin whisked the brunette away, the lighter haired young woman was left without the safety of hiding behind her friend. A small, soft smile of interest pricked at his lips--the first smile he had given since he had moved into base, as far as he could recall. Of course, it was completely warranted.

Being a craftsman, beauty was something that was entirely intriguing to him. He could spend hours in museums and gardens, just appreciating the loveliness of the things that surrounded him. Likewise, he could have spent hours gazing at the blonde before him. Her eyes were of a crystalline quality, closely resembling that of a sky blue topaz. Her choice of clothing coupled with her porcelain skin and her height made her seem almost doll-like. He felt that if he would reach out to touch her, he might break her in his grasp.

His tongue found the back of his piercing once more, as if to remind him that he was beginning to stare. With a self-repremanding blink, his smile faded, but the interest was still clear in his eyes. He heard Jin saying something more to Kat, but for now, he didn't care in the least. Then, his train of thought was entirely dragged to a halt as Jin brought him into the conversation.

“Oh, the brooding dude at the edge of the couch is Siagyo. He doesn’t bite—well, not that I know of, so don’t feel too weird.”

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," he offered more to the blonde than brunette, eyes glancing away from her shyly briefly after the sentiment was complete.

“Or you can pretend it’s just you and me, if you want,”

For some reason, Jin's comment to the woman fell on deaf ears once more. Siagyo's prime interest was to know more of the smaller, doll-like young lady. After all, he knew remarkable craftsmanship when he saw it and whoever had crafted her did an astounding job.

[Kitty]

As she slid the door open, her eyes nearly widened. She couldn't fight back the smile that came with laying eyes on him. Usually, she was the one waiting around for guys. When it came to her friends, she was usually the late one to the party. Somehow with guys, though, she found herself waiting around. With her old boyfriend, she remembered waiting on pins and needles, constantly fixing her hair or touching up her makeup, as he would arrive to their "study dates" at least an hour late.

“Hey, Kitten,”

The way he called her "kitten" also made her warm from the inside out. His voice was really dreamy--even when just speaking. He was definitely a singer, that was for sure. When she felt him touch her hand, it was as if he had shot a small current of electricity at her--especially when he brought it to his lips. It had been a long time since her last kiss (not counting kissing her friends on the cheek, of course).

"Hey," she managed to reply, trying her best to keep her cool. Her smile never left her face, though. No matter how much she tried to mute it, her excitement was off the charts. She knew that if she tried to restrain her smile while he was looking at her, she was bound to make some sort of weird, awkward face that might be just a little bit of a turn off.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t show,”

"I'm a lady of my word," she said with a shrug, sending telepathic waves of "ISN'T HE PERFECT" to Rina the entire time. So far, she was managing to at least keep her cool slightly, though she would be lying to say she was entirely calm.

“’Sup, Shadow,”

This comment was directed at Rina. It set Kat on the defense for a slight moment, almost wondering if he saw her and instantly thought she was more attractive. It wouldn't be too unrealistic. She was pretty. And what if his suddenly addressing her freaked her out? Would she never approve of him in the future? Then, after a split second, Jin's attention was back to her. Then, she realized that he was just trying to be nice. Then, she felt stupid.

“You certainly look—“

Her breath hitched as he paused. What would come next? Stupid? Overdressed? Lame?

“absolutely beautiful.”

She let out a small, happy exhale. So he didn't think she was gross! That was the first step in acquiring a boyfriend (maybe). She didn't really remember how the whole "getting romance" thing worked. It was too many years for her to recall what it felt like when she first fell in and out of love. However, she couldn't help but feel that same old girly feeling she used to feel. It was refreshing and fun and she hoped that Jin wouldn't send her away too soon.

“As always,”

"You're too kind," she mewed, tucking a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. "I could say the same of you, of course," she added. After all, Jin was incredibly attractive.

“My ears have been hurting, recently. But I’m in luck because you sing like an angel,”

"You've never heard me sing," she said with a small laugh. "Though, I'm more excited to hear you," she admitted. Basically, for her, the biggest selling point for a guy was his singing voice. If Jin was good at singing, she was basically going to drop down on one knee and beg him to marry her right then and there. She felt him tug her over toward the couch gently by the hand. Therefore, she readily complied. She felt a small twinge of worry for walking away from Rina so suddenly, but she knew with some apologies and gushing, her friend would understand.

“Why don’t you take a seat while I set the machine up?”

"Sure thing," she gushed, carefully smoothing the back of her skirt before taking her place on the couch--leaving just enough room on either side of her for Jin and Rina. As she looked to her left, she almost jumped, seeing another person there. He was intently looking at the spot where she had formerly been standing. She tilted her head to the side before realizing that this guy was staring at Rina.

Her first instinct was a small pang of jealousy. Then, the girlish inner-squee of delight kicked in. Perhaps this was a friend of Jin's? Did he bring this one so they could somewhat double date?

“Oh, the brooding dude at the edge of the couch is Siagyo. He doesn’t bite—well, not that I know of, so don’t feel too weird.”

"Pleased to make your acquaintance,"

His voice was deep, but kind of attractive. She had to admit that he was also pretty hot--though, she did like Jin better. Besides, this guy didn't look like the singing type. His speech was very good, though, which led her to believe that he was intelligent; if she was giving Rina up to some guy, he had to be at least a bit smart.

"Nice to meet you," she chirped, giving Rina an excited look, followed by a few subtle motions, followed by a wink. Hopefully, she picked up on her soundless communication. For the most part, the two had developed a pretty good language. It combined signals that the two of them could only decipher from each other, a few squeaks, and their natural telepathy.

“Or you can pretend it’s just you and me, if you want,”

Jin rallied her attention back to him. She smiled, looking down at him as he toyed around with wires (something that she personally hated doing). "I'll consider," she mused, "But I can't make any promises. Rina does command quite a bit of attention," she bragged with a wink at her friend. She loved doting on her cute little soul sister.

"Oh, that's right," she suddenly remembered. "You haven't been introduced yet. Nyan," she mewled in a small tizzy. She felt bad for not introducing her sooner. "This, gentlemen, is Rina. Treat her nicely or I'll make sure you'll never have babies ever, 'kay?~" she sang sweetly. If there was one thing she got on the defense about, it was how Rina was to be treated. The warning was more or less directed at Siagyo, considering she already began to see him as a potential love interest for her precious, precious Rina.

[Rina]

“Hey kitten,”

Rina stood on her tiptoes, peering over her friend’s shoulder to see where the voice had come from. Her eyes landed on a tall—well, everyone was tall in her books—man with blue hair and a hat. His voice was smooth and his lips curled into a smirk as he took her hand and kissed it.

“Hey,” Kat managed to feebly reply.

Rina scrunched her nose in distaste as she warily watched Jin check out her best friend. Being as overprotective as she was, she didn’t take kindly to others appraising Kat, especially not men. With a furrowed eyebrow, she sunk down to her heels, peeping out suspiciously from behind Kat’s shoulder time to time.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t show.”

“I’m a lady of my word,” Kat shrugged.

Rina could sense the excitement radiating off of Kat. She knew her best friend like the back of her hand, and she could definitely tell she was inwardly screaming something along the lines of, “WHY IS HE SO PERFECT?” She reached out and briefly squeezed Kat’s free hand, hoping to relax her a bit. The last thing Rina wanted was for her to explode into a giggly mess of goo.

“Sup, Shadow,”

Rina assumed the greeting was directed toward her, so she stood up on her tiptoes once more to glance over her friend’s shoulder. “Hi,” she offered quietly before sinking down to her feet. Jin was definitely an overbearing personality from the get-go.

“You certainly look—“

Rina scrunched her face again. So help her if he said something offense…

“Absolutely beautiful, as always,” he ended up saying much to Rina’s relief.

“You’re too kind,” Kat cooed, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I could say the same of you, of course,” she offered.

Rina could tell just by Kat’s body language that she was both flattered and flustered. She offered a gentle poke on her friend’s arm for moral support. It was a gesture that wouldn’t outwardly frighten her into jumping and shrieking as poking her in the side or back would, but one that still held recognition.

“My ears have been hurting, recently. But I’m in luck because you sing like an angel,”

“You’ve never heard me sing, though I’m more excited to hear you.”

A small smile played on her lips. She knew Kat had a ‘thing’ for guys who could sing. In fact, they both did, but considering singing was basically Kat’s life, it was way more important to her. She had always dreamt of a guy playing a guitar and singing love songs for her. Perhaps she finally found that one guy.

Rina felt her nerve crumble when her friend—and safety blanket—was whisked away to the couch by Jin’s hand. She stood standing in the doorway awkwardly, fidgeting with the lace of her dress, and staring at the scuffs on her shoes, debating whether or not she should just escape while she had the chance. After tossing it in her head and remembering that she vowed to be there for moral support, she allowed a defeated squeak—which happened to be louder than she anticipated—to escape her lips. She was worried Jin had heard her until he spoke up again:

“Why don’t you take a seat while I set the machine up?”

“Sure thing,” Kat responded as she sat down.

“Oh, the brooding dude at the edge of the couch is Siagyo. He doesn’t bite—well, not that I know of, so don’t feel too weird.”

Rina had been so caught up in her incompetent social skills that she had missed the fact that there was another person in the room. As she looked up, a voice rang out:

“Pleased to make your acquaintance,”

His voice was deep, the kind of attractive voice that she wouldn’t mind had he been casted as a protagonist in a movie. However, in real life, it was scary. He was rather robust with broad shoulders and even though he was sitting down, Rina estimated he was at least a foot taller than both her and Kat. Although Jin was tall, he appeared dwarfed by the sheer magnitude of the man sitting on the couch.

“Nice to meet you,” Kat chirped without missing a beat. She then directed her attention to Rina, offering subtle motions and a wink.

“Hi,” Rina murmured stupidly as she quickly directed her attention to Kat. She shook her head ever so slightly—a gesture only Kat would be able to detect—before allowing her bottom lip to jut out in a pout. She was terrified of the guy.

“Or you can pretend it’s just you and me, if you want,”

“I’ll consider,” Kat mused, “But I can't make any promises. Rina does command quite a bit of attention," she offered with a wink.

“Uwah, I do not!” Rina retorted, flustered.

“Oh, that’s right, I haven’t introduced her yet. Nyan, this, gentlemen, is Rina. Treat her nicely or I’ll make sure you’ll never have babies ever, ‘kay~?” Kat sang.

Rina offered a small smile in her failed attempt at being sociable. “Please take care of me,” she murmured timidly, offering a small bow. Deciding that it’d be less awkward to sit down than to stand in the doorway, she hesitantly scuttled over to the couch. Leaving room next to Kat for Jin, she shyly sunk down next to the man known as Saigyo, offering a quiet, “Sorry,” incase he thought of her too close for comfort.

[xJaxx]

“Hey,”

If her smile didn’t give it away, Jin would’ve assumed that she was completely indifferent to meeting up with him again. But even still, he had to know that wasn’t the case. After all, he was the best looking man in the entire base—if not the hunkiest man in the entire area (including the neighboring village). Who wouldn’t be excited to practically have a date with him? If he was meeting himself, he was pretty sure his heart would be beating out of his chest.

“I’m a lady of my word,” She responded with a nonchalant shrug.

“I like that in a woman,” Jin earnest replied with a smirk. So she was attractive and witty. Score one for him.

As he stopped to acknowledge Kat’s shadow, the blond popped up from behind her friend’s shoulder, offering a quiet, “Hi,” before sinking back down. He thought of the whole gesture rather creepy, but hey, he didn’t show up for the little blondie. He could’ve cared less what she did as long as she occupied herself and left Kat to him.

“You’re too kind,” Kat returned, tucking a stray stand of hair behind her ear.

Jin inwardly gave himself a nod of approval for being such a smooth-talker and for being able to pick out a catch as great as his kitten. She had a certain…modesty about her that made her sexy as hell. Normally Jin never took too much interest in girls—having a one night stand with a couple throughout the week kept him content—but he decided that perhaps this one would be worth hanging around for.

“I could say the same of you, of course,” she added.

He had heard countless compliments from other girls, but having them roll off Kat’s tongue made them seem almost more rewarding. But then again, she did had good taste. He was the epitome of a god, for Pete’s sake, who couldn’t compliment him?

“Sadly my beauty pales in comparison to yours, my dear,” he returned. It was hard to humble himself, but he decided if he ever wanted to make her fall into his arms, he’d have to do some coaxing.

“You’ve never heard me sing,” she laughed as she followed after him.

“True,” he admitted. “But I can tell by the way you talk.” He had assumed she had a good singing voice simply by the way her voice fluctuated in her speech. That, and upon their encounter at Café Blossom, he had heard her hum during a few points in their conversation and he had decided if she were able to hold a note to hum, she would definitely be able to sing. Beside, the only people who ever admitted to liking karaoke were those who could actually sing. (“I love Karaoke!” said no tone-deaf person ever.)

“Though, I’m more excited to hear you.”

“I don’t think your feeble little heart can handle it,” he offered with a wink. He was not only hinting to the fact that he had a hot voice (if he did say so himself), he was also suggesting that she might not completely like his style. His voice was more along the lines of alternative rock, not a gifted opera singer. If she liked the idea of a lead singer of a garage band, she’d be swept away. If she wanted the Phantom of the Opera to sweep her off her feet, she was out of luck.

“Sure thing,” she replied, sitting on the couch as he went over to tend to the mess of wires.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” he heard Siagyo say behind him.

Jin almost snorted. Siagyo wasn’t pleased—ever. In fact, Jin was surprised he even stayed around. To tell the truth, he wouldn’t have really minded if his partner left. The only reason he decided to make Siagyo tag along was so he could distract Rina while he and his kitten could spend more quality time together. After all, it wasn’t a surprise that Kat’s shadow came along. As much as he was against it, they were sort of a package deal.

“Nice to meet you,” Kat chirped.

Jin felt a pang of jealousy. Here he was with his back turned, fiddling with the damned wires while Siagyo was sitting on the same couch as his kitten. He knew he technically didn’t have the right of being uneasy—especially because his partner’s looks were mediocre compared to his—but at the same time, he was a possessive person. So help him if Kat decided to kick him to the curb and crawl to Siagyo.

“Hi,”

Oh right, the shadow was still hanging around.

“I’ll consider. But I can’t make any promises. Rina does command quite a bit of attention.”

“Uwah, I do not!” the blond chirped in reply.

Jin honestly didn’t know how the two were so close. Rina was quite and whiney, while Kat was confident and actually sociable. He supposed that the saying ‘Opposites attract’ applied in their relationship.

“I dunno,” Jin started, trying to be hospitable to the tiny blonde. “You seem like a party animal,” he joked with a smirk. (There, that had to make Kat see how well he got along with her best friend.)

“Oh, that’s right,” Kat piped up, suddenly remembering. “You haven’t been introduced yet. Nyan, this, gentlemen, is Rina. Treat her nicely or I’ll make sure you’ll never have babies ever, kay?~” she sang.

Jin glanced over his shoulder with a smile. “I always treat the ladies well, Kitten,” he cooed.

“Please take care of me,” he heard the shadow pipe up shyly.

Jin let his eyes wander to Siagyo. He raised his eyebrows slightly and peeked at Rina, silently urging his partner to keep her entertained while he got intimate with Kat. Hopefully, Siagyo wasn’t as dense as he seemed and would understand his signals. The last thing he wanted was for the little blondie to get in the way of his magic.

“Hey, Kitten,” Jin said, tossing his head back and glancing up at the brunette. “Why don’t you pick a disc while I straighten up this mess here?” he suggested, nodding toward a stack of CDs intended for the karaoke machine that laid adjacent to the television. He decided the more time he spent close to her, the sooner his magic would take effect.