03--video

[shatterings]

[ If you've spoken to Naminé before, you might notice she looks far more at ease now. Being around people who actually like her and mean her no harm has done wonders for her, and there's even a small, content smile there. She's sitting cross-legged on the floor, and in her lap is a Chikorita.

Making sure not to disrupt the sleeping Pokémon, she holds up a (probably familiar) feather. ]

... Is it normal to have things like these floating around? They're beautiful, but... I'm not sure what their use is.

Comments

[faintwaves]

[What in...? That all happened so fast. What? What? What's going on.]

I'm so confused.

[But nonetheless, Namine is free from the leaning of one sister at least. Xion's off to contemplate what button might have been pushed in that whole mess.]

[paopuprincess]

I'm just glad someone else is getting the singing lessons.

[She shrugs, taking Xion by the arm and leading her off. They'll catch up with Nami after and figure out what exactly they did wrong.]

[dangerousidol]

[It takes a bit for Rise to calm down enough to realize that the three other people were gone. She sits down next to Himiko and wiped her tears.]

O-Oh... I'm sorry, Naminé...

[She feels utterly horrible. Making friends with girls is difficult, and she's scared three of them away because she was getting frustrated. If they hadn't interrupted, this might have gone a lot better. She now knows that if she keeps a video feed like this open, she was going to have more interruptions. This was good to know for the future. It was also good to know that if she wanted to talk to Naminé in person, well, there would be three other people, and that thought made her nervous.]

I guess they probably don't like me now. You don't have to come to Goldenrod if you don't want to... I just wanted to meet another girl who might like to be an idol with me. I-I can find someone else if you're not interested.

[shatterings]

[ She shakes her head, still a bit overwhelmed by what just occurred. ]

Please don't apologize... I hope I didn't do anything wrong...

[ Because Naminé does think it was something she did, sadly enough. There's a sincerity in her expression that might be hard for Rise to ignore. ]

It's nothing like that... [ A pause, and she holds Li a little closer. ] I... I do still want to meet you. In Goldenrod. And I'm not sure what an idol does, really... but I would be willing to learn.

[ She's quiet for a while before adding softly, ] I would still like to be friends. If that's okay. [ Because there's something about Rise that Naminé feels drawn to. It's strange, because this is the first time they've spoken and it's only over video. But Naminé can't ignore how she's feeling, and so she just... goes with it. ]

[dangerousidol]

No, it wasn't you at all! I got mad because they were so rude, just barging in like that! Don't they let you make your own choices without having them involved? You guys might be sisters, except that one girl, but you don't have to be joined at the hip.

[Rise has no siblings of her own, so she doesn't quite get why siblings always banded together. All of her friends were only children as well as far as she knew. She watches Naminé for a while before answering, pulling her Eevee into her lap and holding her close.]

Idols bring people happiness. I wanted to make people happy, and I loved idols when I was little! I can tell you more when we meet.

[Her face is rather blank at the moment. This girl was so honest with her feelings. It makes Rise feel a bit ashamed of all the times she used her acting skills to fool people.]

I'd love to be your friend, Nami-chan! I'm sure Himiko does, too!

[shatterings]

[ She takes a moment before replying. Ever careful with her words, this one. ] Well... I think they got excited, because... [ And this? Their behavior? It's different, yes, but Naminé cherishes it. ] ... They want to see me happy, I think. [ There's a lot more to that than Naminé lets on. Divulging her past wasn't ever something she'd considered, mostly because... she's afraid. ] They're really very wonderful.

... Make people happy? [ Ah. Well. ] I... I can try to do that. [ There's a lot of hesitance there. A lack of confidence. ]

You would? I'm glad. Thank you, Rise.

[dangerousidol]

... I don't mind Xion, because she's nice and has Kawa. But the other two, especially that girl who is clearly not your sister... they could have been nicer! [She's pouting, but it's not a serious pout. More a pout out of jealousy. Would things be different if she had siblings? She had her Ni-chan... but he wasn't blood.] Being happy is good, but don't forget you're your own person, okay?

It's hard, I won't lie, but the smiling faces makes it worth it! [She'll tell her about the stalkers and fans later.]

You don't have to thank me! I'm glad you want to be my friend! [Finally! Another female friend. That makes... two? Nami gets a happy smile.]

[shatterings]

They're very... enthusiastic. [ That's the best word to sum them up. Rise's words--you're your own person--catch her off guard, and she's speechless for a while. Naminé knows, really, she's not her own person. She might have a heart, but having a heart doesn't change who she is. ] ... Okay.

You must be very good at it. [ She can tell Rise genuinely loves what she does. And that has Naminé wondering... if she finds it difficult to smile herself, how will she make others smile? ]

Don't... you have a lot of people who do?

[dangerousidol]

Good! It's okay to do things that don't involve them! Like making friends! That should be up to you, not them. Like with Pokémon, too.

[Fake smiling and real smiles are different if you're a molded idol. But Rise doesn't want to do that anymore. Her smiles are genuine.] I hope so! Else I wouldn't have so many fans~

Eh? Hm... I have my friends at home... and I have you and two others I would actually call 'friend'. I mostly have guys talking to me who think I'm cute. I think there's even a guy who really, really likes me. But that happens a lot! [She's very confident about her appearance.]

[shatterings]

I... I know. [ It's just that she does like them being so involved. It's nice. Of course, she'd be hesitant to tell Rise this, because then she'd need to explain why. ]

You have a lot of fans? [ She's in awe, actually. Color her impressed. ]

It... really happens a lot? [ Naminé can't... really imagine people being interested in her like that, despite Ringabel's comments. ]

[dangerousidol]

Oh yeah! This is my Eevee, Himiko! [She looks down at her furry little friend, who gives Naminé a happy little chirp as a greeting.]

Well, yeah! I'm on TV a lot, and I do concerts, signing, hand shake events, commercials, model for magazines... so, all kinds of stuff. That gets me fans~

Yeah... sometimes it's really annoying because really gross guys try to ask me to kiss them or be their girlfriend... [She's gotten good at shooting guys down.]

[shatterings]

Himiko... Hello. I hope you're not mad at me anymore. [ And she gives the little critter a wave and a small smile. ]

That... does sound like a lot to do. [ Rise's getting more and more impressive. She can really do all that--maybe without breaking a sweat? Wow. ]

A-ah... I see.

[dangerousidol]

[Himiko chirps again. It's not you! I can't be mad at someone so sweet!]

It takes a lot of hard work, but I get to travel a lot! Oh, and tons of cute clothes!

You learn really quickly how to slap someone effectively!

[shatterings]

Before here, I've never worn many different clothes... Is it fun, to wear so many different ones?

[ Slap someone... she's not too sure about that. ] I... I see.

[dangerousidol]

Yeah~! You can pick out a style you like, colors, fabrics, patterns, accessories... there's so much! Let's go shopping when we meet~!

It doesn't happen a lot.