soundoftheseas | YOHAMARU CATCHALL

"Seriously, Maru-chan, I don't know about this... are you sure you shouldn't have gone with the others?"

"Baton, you worry too much," Hanamaru huffs in response, circling the building for a number sign. It's such a bother when they're not at the front-- "Oh, this is number 2! Just a little further down, then."

"I'm telling you, there's something off about that girl! She's so pale and spindly, and with those circles under her eyes, she practically radiates a dark aura. I'm just trying to look out for you!" Thankfully, the street is pretty much deserted around these parts, so there's no one to wonder at the grandmotherly prattling coming from Hanamaru's backpack, a pair of fluffy teddybear ears sticking out of the opened top.

"Yoshiko-chan is my friend! She's a good girl. And you're being awful rude, zura." Shifting the strap to one shoulder, she turns around to flick her familiar's ear, earning her a small, indignant 'ow'. "Don't they teach you not to judge by appearances in fairy-land? It's not nice at all!"

A dozen steps or so further, she perks up-- "Oh, I think this is it! Let's see, the teacher said sixth floor..." She peers at the row of buzzers for the PA; nothing says Tsushima, but there's a blank one around where the sixth floor should be, so she goes ahead and presses that one.

"Yoshiko-chaaaan, are you there? It's me, Hanamaru!"

Yoshiko's quiet moping in the dark is interrupted by the loud shriek of her intercom, and the buzzer is so unexpected that it practically knocks her out of her chair. She wasn't expecting company, especially not at this hour...and her surprise isn't dampened any when she hears Hanamaru's voice over the static of the PA system. How on earth did she figure out where she lived?! Over the course of the school year, they've probably had a total of two conversations (that weren't during their not-so-epic battles, of course), so what made her decide to come all the way to her apartment in the middle of nowhere?

"Oooooh, you're gonna get it now, Yocchan! She must be here because she figured out your secret identity, hyuk hyuk hyuk! I mean, you aren't very suuuubtle," purrs Grendel; despite the gravity of what a situation like that would mean for them, he seems to be taking the whole thing in good humor, cozying up to Yoshiko's shoulder and making himself comfortable. Yoshiko fails to see the joke, here, grabbing Grendel by the ear and tossing him off towards the bed; if Hanamaru is going to come upstairs, he'll need to keep himself quiet and pretend to be a stuffed animal or something until she leaves--

"J-just stay quiet and don't move a muscle until I tell you to!" she practically shouts; it's a good thing she doesn't have any neighbors on this floor, she quietly muses to herself as she wades through the mess on the ground, making her way over to the door to push the button to speak. Already, she can feel her hands shaking; she's not even looking at Hanamaru face-to-face, but the idea of talking to her makes her nervous...whether it's from the fear of having her identity exposed or because of their awkward history, even she's not quite sure. ...Then again, it could just be because she's like this with everyone, even putting aside that it's Hanamaru...

Okay, deep breaths. It's just Hanamaru, she doesn't bite--

"I-I'm here, Hanamaru-san. How did you get my address?" She all but mutters into the microphone, before taking a look at the floor beneath her. Good God, what a mess, there's only so much that "I wasn't expecting company" can excuse...

Oh, good, an answer! And her voice sounds okay, at least -- definitely not the strangled wail of a dying woman. Whew!

"I got it from the teacher!" Maru answers cheerfully, bouncing a bit on the balls of her feet. "Can I come up?"

"The...teacher?" She ponders, more to herself than anything else; why would the teacher give her...

Ah, crap. That's right, she hasn't been to school in days--

"Um...yeah, sure, just, uh, give me a minute? I'll buzz you in, just give me a chance to tidy up a little bit, this place isn't exactly ready for visitors..."

But then, it never is, if she's being honest; she hasn't had anyone come in here other than Grendel ever since her parents picked out the place for her. That's probably the last time the floor was visible, too; boxes still line the walls of the kitchen, things waiting to be unpacked that she never got around to unboxing. The place is filthy as can be, and a minute isn't nearly enough time to make the place presentable, but she can at least make it look a little better as she unlocks the door to the apartment complex for Hanamaru, scrambling to pick up tubes of chips and empty waterbottles off the floor...

From the corner of her room, Grendel stifles a few more chuckles, before Yoshiko shuts him up with a dirty look.

"That's okay! Take your time!"

Maru is content to wait a few minutes ouside; it's only fair, given her unannounced visit. She's never been to Yoshikos's place before, not since their kindergarten playdates, and she bounces a bit on the balls of her feet in anticipation.

She hasn't really had the chance to talk with Yoshiko since their reunion-- friendly greetings and how-are-yous, sure, but never anything deeper. It occurs to her, in that moment, just how little she knows about the person Yoshiko's grown up to be, and how much this visit could tell her. Is she tidy or messy? Does she live with family, or alone? Will she have posters on her walls of movies she likes, comic books, plushies?

When the door opens at last, she's bubbling with curiosity to see what the inside is like, and she crosses the threshold with a tiny hop.

"Pardon the intru-- gwah," she bites her tongue, frozen dead in place upon entry. It's definitely bad form to make any comments about the state of cleanliness in someone's home, especially on the first visit, but she just wasn't expecting there to be so... much.

Geez louise. At least that's a couple of her questions answered...

"I mean! It's good to see you, Yoshiko-chan! Uh, do you have any guest slippers?"

That would require ever having any guests to begin with, she thinks to herself; honestly, given that Hanamaru hasn't run for the hills just yet, she should really be thanking her lucky stars. But she doesn't blame her for the reaction; the floor is just a bit more manageable, in that there may actually be signs of tile peeking out from the trash-filled ocean, but, it's still a complete mess, with fluorescent lights above them that flicker every now and again...overall, it's a bit of a sad state of affairs, but at the very least, Yoshiko tries her best to look apologetic for it.

"...Sorry. I didn't exactly have much time to clean up, and I've, uh...I've been pretty sick, these past couple of days. Just, uh, springtime allergies. The worst. I'm really bad with pollen..."

Not putting into account the fact that this is clearly a mess that would take more than just a few days to accumulate, but, it's an excuse. It covers why she hasn't been to school at all, and that's probably what she's here for...

"You can use my slippers, if you don't mind the fact that I've worn them a couple of times. I'm good in my socks."

She goes digging through one of the boxes in the kitchen area, pulling out the slippers from inside of the box...she's been far too lazy to put them on, herself, but at least it seems like her place is some sort of organized chaos.

"If you want, you can sit at the kitchen table. I don't have tea or anything, but I can get you some water, or an energy drink. Been, er, trying to get my electrolytes back up. You know, from my cold..."

"Oh, thank you!" Maru accepts the proffered slippers, shedding her shoes in favor of them. She goes to sit by the table, stepping around an empty soda can and four crumpled paper balls on her way across while warding any hints of criticism away from her features.

"Energy drinks?" She can't help but frown at that. "Isn't that stuff really bad for you? If you're ill, Yoshiko-chan, orange juice and tea are the way to go! And speaking of which--!" Reaching into her bag, she produces a large thermos, presenting it proudly. "Tad-dah! I brought some. It's chamomile, so why don't we drink it together?"

"They're fine, Hanamaru-san. Besides, they're orange-flavored..." As if that actually means something...

"...Thank you, though. You definitely didn't have to do that. I'll go pour us some, then."

At first, she thinks to herself that it might be some kind of a trap, but, Hanamaru seems genuine enough, and the only one making the traps here is Yoshiko herself, isn't it? It's probably safe; from what she's seen in their battles, underhanded trickery isn't the Cure's M.O. in the slightest. And Hanamaru's going to be drinking it, too, so that rules out the fact that it's some kind of practical joke...

Not that she's ever seen Maru play a prank on someone, of course. But you can never really be too careful.

She takes the thermos over to the cupboard, and pours two cups of tea out for themselves; she has to stop herself from taking a third for Grendel on impulse.

"Did you, um...just come to check if I was alright?"

"The one I almost tripped over said berry-flavored," Maru tuts, wagging a finger. She dives back into her backpack, narrowly avoiding smacking Baton as she pulls out her notebooks.

"I brought notes from this week, too. We can go over them together, if you'd like, just to be sure you understand everything!"

Edited 2017-06-09 21:53 (UTC)

She gulps, avoiding eye contact even as she puts the tea down for her on the table.

"They have all different flavors, alright? A-and berries are good for you, too! They've got, you know, high fiber, and..."

She trails off with a sigh, realizing just how pointless this conversation is.

"Forget I said anything. And you definitely don't have to do that. It was nice enough that you brought over tea and the work I missed, but you don't have to be my private tutor, Hanamaru-san. That's just going way too far for my sake."

Her frown reappears, tugging harsher this time. "I don't think it's too far at all! It's not your fault you got sick, Yoshiko-chan. You shouldn't have to fall behind."

"... And besides," she offers after a beat, features brightening: "You were my best friend in kindergarten!"

"Zu--Hanamaru-san."

She tries to cover up her slip of the tongue by taking a sip of the tea in front of her, practically scalding her tongue in the process with a wince. But after she puts the cup back down, her shoulders jolting as the ceramic hits the wood of the table, she speaks up again...

"Th...that was ages ago. Just because we were close back when we were five...I'm sure we both might as well be different people. We've barely spoken in ten years, surely you can't remember much from back then."

Yoshiko's probably a freak, for remembering as much as she does. They were just kids, after all, and no one in their right mind hangs onto kid stuff like that when they grow up. Hanging onto memories like those is immature enough as is...

Hanamaru's teeth worry lightly at her lip, and she pauses to take a pensive sip of tea.

"That's true. I mean, I'm sure we've both changed, and forgotten stuff here and there... but that doesn't mean the memories I have aren't important to me."

Maybe it's a little strange. Most kids her age don't think much about kindergarten. But Yoshiko was one of her first friends, and when they moved on to different schools, Hanamaru hadn't gotten that close to anyone else for a very long time. Not until becoming a Pretty Cure, and finding herself in the middle of a whole group of friends out of sheer dumb luck. A kind trick of fate.

But it's been a long, long few years.

"You were always nice to me, Yoshiko-chan, even when the other kids made fun of me." She utters the words cautiously, a little self-conscious. Those times were precious to her, indeniably, but she wonders if this bout of reminescence would strike Yoshiko as odd.

"Remember when I tripped over a rock and hurt my knee, and you helped me up and took me to the teacher? I was crying so much. I thought you really looked like an angel back then..."

She trails off into a murmur, and then perks up again, hiking her skirt up to point at her bare knee. "I still have this tiny scar right here, see?"

Edited 2017-06-09 22:56 (UTC)

The recollection nearly makes Yoshiko choke on her tea, a swig of chamomile that makes its way down the wrong pipe and makes her burst into a coughing fit. Hanamaru remembers stuff like that?! After all this time?

"That...that was just because I was making you run with me to our secret base, behind that huge tree! It was my fault, so I felt so bad...but I definitely had way more falls than you did. Way more scars, too...."

She rolls up her sleeves to show off two particularly striking ones, just above her elbow.

"These are from that time I went up to the top of the jungle gym! I was trying to grab you the sun, remember? I came up with this whole big plan to snatch it out of the sky. But I lost my balance and fell right in the stupid sandbox, and scraped my arms against that splintery wood. I felt like I had sand in my mouth for days."

But all she could think about was getting up there to try again, once her arms got better. She was a persistent girl back then; God only knows what happened.

Edited 2017-06-09 23:15 (UTC)

Hanamaru giggles giddily, clapping her hands together in delight. "I remember, I remember! I really thought you were gonna get it! Like, if you just had a bigger stick--"

Before she can finish the thought, a sound from behind her makes her jump-- something that sounds like a hyuk?

"--zura?!"

"O-oh, that's just, er...my phone's notification sound! I must have left the volume on high...I've, uh, I've been getting lots of spam e-mails recently!"

She has half a mind to go over there and clobber Grendel herself, but, obviously that would blow their cover. For goodness's sake, just shut up, already, you stupid bat...thing, or whatever you are!

"I really should get around to changing it, it's really quite annoying!"

As if that last remark is aimed at something in particular--

"O-oh, your phone... I guess you can make it sound like anything these days, huh? Maru's is just the default tone..."

So that's what technologically-advanced people are into these days...? Oh, wait, duh-- she sits up straighter as the thought hits: "You should give me your phone number, Yoshiko-chan! That way we could keep in touch better, and I won't have to startle you with any more surprise visits!"

"My number? Wait, wait, really? I mean, I actually, uh, I don't really know it off the top of my head--"

When was the last time she gave someone her phone number? The only contacts she has in her phone are her parents, and it isn't as though she ever answers when they call, anyway.

"I don't really call too many people. Or have people over, for that matter, but you probably figured that out already."

She just grumbles into her chamomile, her voice taking on a hint of resignation at the obvious confession.

"But I'm happy that way, really. It's kind of just the way it is. No one really bugs me when I'm busy, and I don't have to worry about inconveniencing anyone that way. You have plenty of friends now, I'm sure, so I'm sure I'd just get in the way of time you want to spend with them, you know?"

She gulps.

"Besides, I'm not exactly popular. I'm sure people would say things."

Hanamaru listens wordlessly as Yoshiko goes on, putting herself down in so many words -- and for what? Because she asked for her number? Does Yoshiko not want to be friends? Or rather, could it be that she's scared of it...?

Well, in the end, all Maru does is pull out her clamshell phone, flip it open, and hand it over.

"Anyway, please put it in here, okay?"

"...O-okay, Zur--Hanamaru-san. Give me a second, I'll go get it."

Even after all that, she can't say no to her. It's just like it was in kindergarten: every time Maru would scurry over to their little hideout with a book in hand, eager to act out a story she had read or talk about her latest library conquest, Yoshiko couldn't help but indulge her.

She takes the phone and walks from the kitchen area to her bedroom, grabbing her phone and searching for the place to find her own number. All the while, Grendel seems to find this hysterical, hyuking away, but at least he has the decency to keep it down a bit to a Muttley-like cackle as Yoshiko scours her phone. He'll have a lot to grill her about later, Yoshiko is certain about that, but...

Soon enough, she brings Maru's phone back, putting it face-up on the table, still open. Clear as day, on the contact screen...

Tsushima Yoshiko
666-1313-4444

"You can, uh, call me whenever."

YOHAMARU CATCHALL

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