What to Do, What to Do...?

It...It definitely made things easier!

"Mhm, Ah....I haven't developed any type of ability yet..." Ikue explained, giving a sheepish giggle at that admittance. "I can see ghosts and hollows though, s-so I'm definitely spiritually aware!"

She wasn't entirely familiar with what she was...other than a person that had the potential of developing abilities and seeing ghosts.

At Meiko's thanks though, she gained a small smile without the sheepishness; "Welcome."

"I see. Well that's interesting. Like a blank slate!" She said cheerily. Ikue was most certainly becoming more interesting by the minute, though she didn't dare tell the girl that, lest she go into another flustered phase. Meiko giggled a little at the thought. She should count herself lucky she had made friends with Meiko. If she didn't care about Ikue she would have just teased her into oblivion.

"So... tell me about yourself Ikue? What are your interests? Do you work? Go to school? Have you got a boyfriend?" These seemed like the normal questions to ask a new friend.

A blank slate? Aha, she supposed so... it was certainly one way to put it. She was still learning and hadn't yet developed any kind of abilities, so...blank slate for the most part!

"H-Huh?" About herself?" Um, well...I go to college and I'm majoring in astronomy, I-I um...read books, and sometimes like to go out on walks, and I like..." Aaah, she liked a few things, but she was just prattling off specifics. "I like stargazing, th-though I guess that's kind of a given considering...my major.

As for jobs I don't have one, I've been thinking about getting one though to earn some extra money; a-a what!? N-No, I-I don't not right n- N-No I-I have friends...b-but that's it." That final question had her blushing again, her stuttering becoming a bit stronger; b-boyfriend!? Sh...She didn't! She had friends, some of them were male, but no relationships like that!

Meiko smiled at Ikue's confused reaction. "Oh? Astronomy? That's..." She paused and blinked. "Wow, that really IS cool..." She said, almost thrown off by it. It was... such an unusual answer too... "I don't think I've ever met an astronomer before. That's neat!" She said with a happy smile. Her other interests seemed normal, but a stargazer? That was something else.

Ahhh, but HERE was a fun thing! Meiko grinned, chuckling a little. "Oh? I feel like I hit a nerve... You said not right now... So..." She crossed one leg over the other and leaned forward. "Are there any boys you WISH were your boyfriend?" She asked, her tone pointed.

"N-No, n-no n-nothing like that!" Ikue quickly shook her head a few times as if to add more to her response. It wasn't like that! It-It wasn't like that at all! It was just a very flustering topic! "I-It is just...j-just a flustering topic!"

W-When she'd said not right now she was strictly stating she was not opposed to eventual relationships and that maybe one day she might! It was a perfectly normal thing to say!

"B-But y-yes...I go to...college to study astronomy..." That was a safe topic, a very safe topic...

"Hmhmh... Of course. NOTHING like that..." She said before giving a little wave and sitting back on the couch. Obviously there must be SOME boy she liked... Most likely anyway. She giggled at Riye's sudden swerve of conversation. Well, if she wanted that desperately not to talk about it...

"Fine, I'll drop it. If I see you making googly eyes at a boy though I'm going to call you on it." She said with a playful grin. That was something friends did, right? Wingmanning? Aoi had wingmanned for her... that was... sort of different though... And Aoi had mostly done that to get Meiko to stop hitting on her...

"Well I think that's just fantastic. What is it about the stars that drew you to Astronomy?"

S-She would not be making...g-googly eyes at anyone! She h-had no crushes, so she would be perfectly safe! Ikue had her...her studies to focus on! Romance was not a priority thing in the slightest!

For now though, that subject was dropped as they moved onto the safer one.

"Well...I've always liked the night sky, and the stars ever since I was really little, I had a telescope and I always used to look up at the sky with it and I was always amazed by all that was out there. I studied constellations, and all that growing up... I just really loved it, so I decided to pursue it! That's why I'm majoring in astronomy in college, it would... I can learn so many more things that way."

Maybe someday even start a career in the area... It was definitely lots of fun!

Meiko listened, nodding solemnly. Wow.. That was so romantic.. not in a romantic sort of way, but in the ... grand romantic sense. It was very admirable... It made Meiko think about her own aspirations... She... didn't have any persay, really... Hrm.

"I think that's really excellent! Sweet too. Not many people have such a fascinating childhood dream, much less go on to study it. I think.. Yeah, I think you're really cool, Ikue!" She said with a cheery smile. "I think space is very cool too, of course." She added, just to be sure.

Now though she gave a silly sigh, looking away for a second. "So. Aren't you going to ask questions about me, now?" She recommendordered

"C-Cool? Aha, I-I'm just...d-doing what I love!" That... That didn't count as cool, did it? It was just following her passions in life, so it...seemed normal to Ikue at least! She thought the hobby was cool, very interesting, and amazing, but her?

W-Well, if Meiko wanted to say...as such... that was fine!

Ikue could accept it! It was simply a surprise!

"I-It is! It's really amazing!" She could fully agree on that!

Oh right! About her...

"Um... What are your interests, Meiko?" Meiko had been calling her by her first name, so Ikue assumed it was fine to do the same... "Like, hobbies and all that..."

She'd said she was good at cleaning, but there was more to learn than that!

Meiko gave a small smile and a tiny giggle. Ikue was so polite. She didn't even bat an eyelash at such a suggestion. Meiko uncrossed her legs, resting her hands in her lap and sitting rather primly on the couch. "Hmm.. My hobbies..." She looked up, wondering exactly how to answer this without giving away too much about Vera and Co.'s nature...

"Well... I spend a lot of time taking care of my family. Scheduling, handling the finances, handling their legal affairs, cleaning their homes, paying their bills..." She crossed her arms, glancing aside. "I don't have... a LOT of time to myself, I suppose? But I enjoy cooking, and crafts and things like that.. Uhhh..." Well.. There was day off? But that wasn't... a hobby. "Uhh... I guess I don't really... have a lot of hobbies?" She admitted, self conscious for the first time..

"W-Wow, it sounds like you keep really busy... Being able to handle all of that sounds amazing though, having the ability to get through it all. It sounds like hard work." She did that for herself and her family? All of those things... It was certainly impressive, really!

Ikue felt if she had to handle all of those things she'd collapse from overworking herself...

Even if she didn't have many hobbies, it was still fun to do what you enjoyed! Cooking was one of those things, and she could do crafts! "Those are fun things though! Cooking and being able to do crafts and such... I like cooking too!"

"W-well... Yeah... It's.. pretty difficult... I did a lot more in the past but I.." Her arms tightened a little, clearly a little self conscious on the subject. "Well I had.. something of a mental breakdown... S-so uh... I do less now.. Not a lot less, but... less..." She reached up and adjusted her glasses, looking away entirely from Ikue, now.

"Y-yeah.... It's... I like cooking... my animated objects help me with cooking a lot too. I'm not... THAT good at crafts and stuff though, or anything." She really hadn't expected to bring up the spaz out she had. It had thrown her entirely off her game.

She used to do even more? That was...hard to imagine, not because Ikue doubted her, but doing so much work for so many people just didn't seem entirely possible! She seemed to be a bit...self conscious about this though?

It seemed that way anyway...

Due to a mental breakdown though she'd lightened her workload... It was good she'd lightened it, that much stress wasn't good at all!

"I'll bet they're a great help! I learned how to cook when I was little so I've been doing it for a long time..." It was time consuming, but nice.

Meiko glanced up at her, then back down. She wondered what Ikue was thinking. God, she probably sounded like a psycho... The smartass way she'd been acting couldn't help.. But it was just how she was, after all. She glanced around, wanting to... stress eat or SOMETHING. She curled herself up a little, but perked up when Ikue finally spoke.

"Oh? They... Oh! Y-yeah! They are... They help a lot.. Hmm... So you're quite the chef yourself, huh? Maybe you could even make me dinner?" She suggested with a smile. "Just so I can taste your cooking, of course!" She said with a bashful grin.

"That's good! A-Ah, yeah...I can cook tonight!" Ikue gave a small nod, "I-I wouldn't say chef...t-though; I learned how when i was little, b-but I'm no expert or anything!"

Her smile was a shy one as her cheeks tinted slightly again; she could cook tonight! She had no idea yet what to make, but she could d-definitely cook tonight! It wouldn't be a problem!

"O-oh!" She blinked, sitting up a little, looking down at her stomach. Ikue had already fed her once though... She'd meant in general, not necessarily tonight... Well... That was fine. "Well.. We'll see! I at least have a rather defined palate. We'll be able to see how excellent you are, though I suspect it is a lot!" She laughed lightly, before laying down on the couch, sighing. "God, this is the best couch." She said, closing her eyes for a moment and smiling.

A moment later she sat up. "Uh.. I don't suppose... you have somewhere I can freshen up? I just have not had a shower since yesterday and I do like to keep clean." She gave another happy smile. She had to take care of hygiene, even in trying times, after all.

"Ahaha... W-What would you like then?" Ikue asked, her fridge and cabinets were pretty stocked last time she'd check, so she should be able to make a decent amount of things. She was used to making more traditional foods, but she'd tried cooking a few western dishes before as well!

She...She could try to make something they would both like!

"Oh, the bathroom is through that door right over there! There's a guest room as well that you can stay in. Just pass by the bathroom and down the hall and it's on the right, my room is right across!"

Meiko could freshen up in the bathroom, and then when it was time to turn in she knew where the guest room was! Good!

She stood up and headed for the restroom, glancing back over her shoulder. "Hm? Oh, anything you want to make is fine!" She grinned. "Really, I'll like it no matter what!" She assured Ikue, before heading into the restroom. Once she was in, she sighed, slumping against the door. She glanced at the mirror. Yes... Definitely needed a shower.

"Ikue? You don't mind if I use your soap or anything?" She called out, before getting the water going, getting it the right temperature. A few minutes later, she had laid her clothes rather neatly in a little folded pile where they wouldn't get wet and had climbed into the shower, immediately she slumped against the wall and sunk to the tub.

"Son of a.... Today has been TOO shitty.." She muttered to herself, pushing her hair back. Water collected on her glasses and she sighed, pulling them off and dropping them next to her, no more shits currently given.

Anything? I-If she was sure....

Ikue would make a good dinner to make sure there were at least some things Meiko would hopefully like! She gave a determined nod to herself as the other woman headed towards the bathroom, aiming for success with her cooking!

"H-Huh, oh, yeah! Go ahead, I don't mind!" She smiled, this time giving Meiko a small nod.

Soap was soap, she had plenty right now and if more was needed she could buy it!

While Meiko washed up, Ikue headed to the kitchen area to see what she had, from there she could decide on what dinner would be later!

Meiko just sat in the shower basking in the warm 'dont give a fuck'ness of it all that she felt in the shower. Just her own private little sanctuary. Her long hair practically covered her as she lounged about for a while utterly lazily before finally getting herself cleaned up. She was awfully tempted to take a bath, but she didn't want to keep Ikue waiting... She might have anyway, but she was trying to be a good friend.

So, roughly an hour later, plenty of time for Ikue to cook, she hummed softly to herself, picking up her glasses and cleaning them off. She placed them on and found a towel. She dried herself off and gave it a pinch and held it up before it promptly wrapped snugly around her, holding itself together as a towel dress. She stepped, cautiously, out of the bathroom. She sniffed the air.

"Oh my god! That smells delicious. Is it ready?" She asked, almost salivating. "Um... Aaaalso... I.. have no spare clothes.. heh..." She glanced aside, a might bit flustered herself for once.

Curry rice, gyudon, and onigiri! Onigiri was a safe choice for a small side at least...even if it was typically just something you'd pick up and take with you to snack on. Curry rice was more of a meal, as was gyudon though... so overall it'd be a full meal.

Shortly after Meiko began bathing, and after Ikue decided on what she'd make...the woman got to work!

It would take time, for the curry rice at least...not as long for the gyudon though, and the onigiri was simple as well! She was sure to shape it in an easy to eat manner, just like you'd find in stores but they were fresh!

She had tea, water, and also some soda in the fridge...so Meiko could have her choice of drink.

When she heard Meiko's voice, she turned after some of the stuff on the table out, such as plates and tableware at least. She had forks and such...setting them out as choices as well as chopsticks. She wasn't sure which the other woman preferred.

"H-Huh, almost! It should be done in just a short bit!" Ikue answered, giving a smile; "Clothes? Sure! Lemme get you some..."

Stepping away from the kitchen she headed towards her room, "A-Also I have tea, soda, or water! Feel free to check the fridge if you want soda or water, or a cold tea!" She could prepare hot tea as well, but Meiko had the freedom to get what she wanted if she wanted any of those things...

She pulled out one of her sweaters, a striped one that was white and mint in color; hopefully the style would be okay... It was big, much like the one she was wearing. Ikue pulled out a pair of shorts with it as well the woman could wear.

These should fit... She bought sweaters over sized on purpose, and the shorts should fit...

"Are these okay?" Stepping out of her room and back towards the kitchen, she held up the articles of clothing for Meiko to see.

Meiko blinked, backing out of the way. Ikue seemed to be rather furiously at work here... or so she would think going by all of the food, preparations and now getting her clothes. "Th-thank you!" She said with a bashful smile as Ikue headed off to get her something to wear. She headed over to the fridge once she'd gone and pulled out a soda can. She looked at the top, then her nails, before rolling her eyes and tapping the can which opened up on its own. "Good boy." She said smugly before kicking the soda back.

When Ikue came back with a sweater, she would have hugged her, if she did not suspect such a thing would send her into a flustered fit. "Yes! Those would be lovely. I DO love sweaters." She said, downright bubbly as she headed off. She returned from the restroom a moment later having gotten dressed, her hair still damp and hanging about her but otherwise dry.

The sweater came about to where it should if it weren't the oversized type, though it hung more than a little long on Meiko's arms. She flapped them about to be silly for a moment. "Hmm, I seem to have developed woolen tentacles." She said, before heading over to the table, where she'd sat her soda. "Everything smells wonderful, Ikue! I can't wait!" She said, sitting down and waiting patiently.

"Welcome!" Ikue replied once she returned, smiling as Meiko said the clothes would do lovely. "I like them for when I'm at home, I buy them over sized though... It's easier to relax in them that way!"

Ikue handed over her clothing so Meiko could change; "I can wash the clothes you were wearing later if you want?"

She had her own clothes to wash, so getting Meiko's own clothes washed wouldn't be a problem either...

Moving to the kitchen after a short moment, Ikue picked out a tea from her fridge and went to seat herself at the table to prepare a plate. She was particularly fond of the curry rice, but she loved gyudon as well and onigiri! Meiko had said it smelled good...so she hoped it would taste great as well!

"Feel free to help yourself!" She smiled once Meiko had returned.

"Yes. They are quite comfortable!" She said, rolling the sleeves up to her elbows. "And thank goodness you do. I'd hate to be wearing a sweater that showed midriff. Really, I'd hate to be showing midriff at all." Which was true MOST of the time anyway. At Ikue's suggestion, she quickly dished herself a plate and dug in, still famished even after the buns.

"I don't really like showy clothes... Mmmmost of the time anyway. Heck, even the shorts would make me a little self conscious if I was out in public." She stopped to chew some and swallowed, sitting back for a moment. "Say, with how flustered you get, what DO you do when someone is actually flirting with you?" She wondered.

"Mhm!" Ikue agreed with that fully! They were really comfortable, she dressed in clothing that stuck to her and were much more fitting to her figure when outside or at classes, when at home though...it was time to relax!

She began eating as Meiko prepared herself a plate, giving a small nod; "I usually wear tights or leggings at least when out in public, if I wore shorts I think I'd die from fluster, ahaha..." She gave a sheepish laugh before taking a bite from her curry rice, giving a smile at its taste.

Hm...

"W-When someone is actually... I-I get really flustered, t-though... I-It's rare for someone to...to seriously flirt; I-I have friends that sometimes...l-let comments slip, but they aren't flirting, i-it's in their nature to speak that way; i-i-if someone was actually flirting though and...and I realized...aaa..."

She would die...she would possibly die and make an absolute fool of herself!