We Shouldn't Watch This Movie So Close to Sundown (Kei)

Kei squinted up at the marquee, watching the movie titles as they came and went.  She didn't recognize many of them, and was starting to wonder if she should leave and come back another day.  She wasn't sure if she wanted to take a gamble and just see a movie at random -- what if it ended up being something like a romance or a comedy?  Sure, she'd have fun, but at the end of the day Kei would still rather watch a horror movie.  Or a thriller, or even an action movie.

...But, she was really hoping for a horror movie.

Sighing, she frowned and looked harder at the marquee, as if doing so would somehow make it reveal what each movie was about.  She stood there for another minute before sighing again.  It was no use -- she may as well just go home, look up the movies online and then come back tomorrow.

Before she could leave, a combination of movement and a familiar voice caught Kei's attention.  Turning her head, she looked to see Yukari approaching, looking chipper as usual.  She smiled and waved at her upperclassman.  Kei hadn't known Yukari for long, but she seemed like a very nice person.  Very friendly and warm, and just easy to get along with.  ...Which made it a bit more nerve-wracking to be around her.  Kei was very aware that she had no filter, and desperately wanted to avoid saying anything that might scare Yukari off.  She'd already bumbled her way through a few conversations, although she was hoping that maybe, just maybe, this one could go smoothly.

"Hey, Hamada-senpai!"  She greeted, and inwardly cringed because oh man, was that too enthusiastic?  ...Or was it not enthusiastic enough?  Maybe it had -- no, nope, no -- shut up, inner-Kei.  She wasn't going to get work herself up when she was only two words into a conversation.  She wasn't.  That would be stupid.  She did start fidgeting though, repeatedly tapping her fingers to her thumb.  Kei was, at the moment, not even aware she was doing it.

Still smiling, and doing her best to ignore her silly, inaccurate thoughts, Kei nodded in response to Yukari's question.  She didn't get a chance to sneak a word in edge-wise, with Yukari continuing on about a horror movie.  Score!  Kei's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands together.  "Oh, horror movies are the best!  D'you know if this one's more a psychological horror, or a slasher, or paranormal...?"  She asked, trailing off at the end as she tried -- and failed -- to remember all the sub-types of the genre.  Despite not knowing all the names, though, Kei loved them all equally -- if only because she just wanted a good scare, and nothing more.

"Hm?  Oh, yeah, I'm here alone," Kei nodded again.  "I finally didn't have anything to do at home, so I figured I'd come and check out the mall!  ...Then I got distracted by the movie theatre."  Kei's smile turned into a sheepish grin.  She'd maybe seen a tenth of the mall before she stumbled across the theatre and decided hey, now was as good a time as ever to watch a movie!  And it would have been, provided she'd known what was playing.

But, hey, she did now, thanks to Yukari.  Kei wondered if it would be weird to ask if they could watch the movie together.  They hadn't known each other long and weren't particularly close but... Surely this wouldn't over-stepping any bounds, right?  There was nothing wrong with one friendly acquaintance asking another if they could sit next to each other in a movie theatre.  ...Right?  ...Right.  Okay.  Deep breaths.  ...Except maybe not because then Yukari might notice and make a comment and really, who starts breathing deep in the middle of a mall?  That's a weird thing to do, not seeing movies with a pal and --

"Hey, senpai, d'you wanna see Gekkoukan Silence together?"

"It is a nice thought," Kei agreed, "And hey, I'm sure your knight's just waiting for the perfect time to make his entrance."  She wasn't just saying that to be nice, either; Kei was certain that, given time, Yukari would find the perfect guy.  She seemed like too good a person to end up with someone who didn't deserve her... And too strong of a person, too.  Kei may not have known Yukari very well yet, but she didn't seem like the type who'd just take things lying down.

She shrugged when Yukari mentioned her lack of musical talent.  "Eh, I'll be honest, I wasn't so good when I first started either.  Just takes a bit of practice, is all."  And dedication, and liking the instrument you played, and -- well, a bunch of other things that Kei wasn't going to bother to list.  She didn't want to bog down the conversation with all that silly nonsense! 

She nodded along as Yukari talked about the other shops in the mall, and where some of them were.  The Bubble certainly was big, though Kei supposed she should have expected it -- any city like Sanyo was bound to have a sizable mall.  She stuck beside Yukari as the other girl headed toward the coffee shop.  It smelled heavenly in there -- a mix of fresh coffee and vanilla and baked goods -- and the atmosphere was warm, cozy... It wasn't hard to see why the place was so popular with customers.

"That makes sense," she nodded again as Yukari started talking about film and photography.  "You must see a lot of different movies -- that's gotta be pretty cool!  So what makes a movie 'well shot'?"  Kei, who'd never held a camera in her life, had no idea what counted as good cinematography.  Heck, she hadn't even considered what made for a well-shot movie before this very moment.  Kei was simple, and always just looked for the scares -- the scarier the movie, the more she liked it.

Kei's thoughts ground to a sudden stop when Yukari offered to buy her something from the cafe.  For just a second, just one short second, she looked at Yukari as though the girl had grown a second head.  The gesture was so unexpected, so kind, and Kei couldn't help but wonder where the joke was, what the catch was...

...And then she mentally kicked herself.  What did it say about her, that she was ready to assume the worst of someone who'd proven to be nothing but kind and gentle?  She may not have known Yukari very well, but not once had she ever given Kei a reason to mistrust her.

Nice one, Kei.  Way to be an ass.

"I- uh, could I get a hot chocolate, please?"  She turned to the counter to place her order, and then looked over at Yukari, smiling from ear to ear.  "Thanks, senpai!  You're the best.  Uh, as for where we should go... Hm... How about the arcade?"

While Kei had never thought shooting a movie would be easy, she certainly hadn't anticipated it being this involved, either.  So many techniques and lenses and... things to consider.  It was incredible that Yukari could remember it all!  And this was just the basic stuff!  So cool.  Maybe she should try to keep an eye out for these things while watching Gekkoukan Silence...

...Though she promptly forgot about anything film-related on arriving at the arcade.  The walls were lined with all kinds of games, many of which Kei hadn't seen before.  "Wow, this place is huge!  This is awesome!"  She grinned, looking like a kid who'd been told Christmas was coming early.  She turned to Yukari, still grinning, and said, "Thanks for showing me around, senpai.  Would've taken me ages to find things on my own."  Something about being easily-distracted made it difficult to see everything a mall had to offer.  "I get what you mean about paying just to lose, though," Kei nodded, "It kinda sucks.  Though, I do like winning after a lot of losses.  Makes you feel like you accomplished something!  ...Before you realize you spent a dumb amount of time and money on something that doesn't matter."  She laughed sheepishly -- it was definitely something Kei had done before, and would likely do again.  The hazards of playing arcade games... If only she could apply that line of thinking to her school work.

When Yukari pointed to the accessory shop, Kei's gaze followed, and she nodded.  It definitely looked like a store Yukari would frequent -- it was trendy, fashionable, and the girls currently walking in looked like the popular sort that Yukari would fit in perfectly well with.  ...Unless they were mean.  In which case, she wouldn't fit in well, because Yukari was so very kind.

She grinned again, this time at Yukari's comment about making friends.  "Aw, thanks senpai!  I sure hope I do."  She took a sip from her drink, humming when Yukari mentioned the music store.  "Eh, don't worry about it -- I'm sure I can find the place on my own time!"  She didn't want to be a bother, after all.  Yukari was already doing so much for her already by showing her around the Bubble and buying her a hot chocolate and agreeing to go see the movie together.  The last thing Kei wanted to do was make more work for her.