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@xheartpages ; kaneko / random asks
"You took a wrong turn."
Kaneko doesn't look up from her book when she says it; cutting through the silence of the room as Rampion entered her room. She's sitting in a worn window-still; the fading sunshine highlighting her russet colored hair as her attention was focused on a book in her hands. The room wasn't much, water damaged on the walls and cracks running along both the ceiling and walls; much like the rest of the place. It wasn't like they all had money to get a proper building to live in after all ...
Being one of the only girls of the group, Kaneko had been able to snag a room to herself for the principle of it. ( She barely slept in it, if she was being truthful--she spent most of the night hours out and about, doing patrol or some small assignment or another. ) Sure, they had been complaints about it; especially from some of the guys her age, new or not, but it was shut down by Shaw if not by her. And they would all rather Shǎndiàn deal with it than Akatsuki.
With a pointed sigh through her nose, she lowers the book to fix the 'boy' with a pointed, hardened stare. She had already been trying to deal with him as little as possible, if only to soothe her own anxieties about a newcomer among that could be anybody; and seeing him without any warning only made the irritation spike.
"--You can leave the way you came."
She’d hovered outside of the door for a few minutes, psyching herself up to enter. It’s like an invisible aura of doom hangs around the room, warning anyone and everyone to keep out or face the wrath of the scariest member of their house. The other boys in the house had warned Rapunzel ( going by Rampion until her mistrust of the outside world dies down ) that stepping foot in Kaneko’s room would result in her immediate doom - and with how Kaneko had reacted to her sudden appearance in the home, followed by pretending she doesn’t exist, Rapunzel believed them.
But this is different! This isn’t just randomly showing up somewhere mysteriously - this is a mission, something Kaneko can appreciate! Rapunzel has to find a way to bond with the other girl, to ease her suspicion and bring some harmony to their relationship. Or, better yet, turn the grumpy hero into her best friend! Maybe she could even be trusted with the little secret of ‘ Rampion’s ’ true identity.
And that’s why she finds herself staring at the peeling paint of the wooden door, taking deep breaths as she silently reassures herself that things can’t go that bad. She’s even clutching a peace-offering, hoping to relax the other a little. One final breath, and she opens the door carefully.
The words she’s greeted with weren’t exactly unfriendly, though she couldn’t describe them as welcoming. The hope falls from her face as her eyes scan the floor, doubting her decision to extend an olive branch and considering following Kaneko’s instructions without another word. It’s only through an instinct, a spike of intuition that tells her this is the right path, that she lifts her head and flashes a bright smile with renewed energy.