Patience is a virtue

I rang the doorbell and waited. She opened the door and stared at me for a few seconds, then closed the door in my face. Hmmm.

[X] Wait.

[ ] Leave.

[ ] Ring the door again.

I brushed the snow off the front steps and sat down. It sure was cold today.

...

...

...

(if choice="Wait")

15 minutes later, the door was opened by a facepalming Aeryn.

(if choice="Ring the door again.")

Half and hour later, the door was opened by a facepalming Aeryn.


 * Aeryn "Jesus Christ. What is this, Fight Club? Get in here, or you're going to get sick."

I smiled and accepted the invitation.
 * Aeryn "What if I hadn't opened the door?"
 * Chiyo "Aeryn's too nice to do that."

She rolled her eyes.
 * Aeryn "What are you doing here anyways?"
 * Chiyo "I wanted to see you of course!"
 * Aeryn "Why?"
 * Chiyo "Because I like you!"
 * Aeryn "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Don't wreck anything okay?"

She proceeded to ignore me and flopped onto the couch, where an open book was waiting. She started reading. I sat down beside her and started reading out loud.


 * Chiyo "...he inadvertently says something else, or he is almost indifferent as to whether his words mean anything or not. This mixture of vagueness and sheer incompetence is the most marked characteristic of modern English prose, and especially of any kind of political writing. As soon as certain topics are raised, the concrete melts into the abstract and no one seems able to think of turns of speech that are not hackneyed..."

Aeryn "Stop that." She snapped the book shut.
 * Aeryn "I'm not doing anything interesting. Go hang out with Erica and Kaira, or Matthew or something."
 * Chiyo "I want to stay here!"

I contented myself to watching TV while she read her book.

Half an hour later she put it down.
 * Aeryn "Aren't you bored?"
 * Chiyo "Nope."

She got up and headed to the kitchen.
 * Aeryn "Did you have lunch yet?"
 * Chiyo "If you're going to make me some, then the answer is 'why no, I did not'."
 * Aeryn "Don't get the wrong idea. I let you in here, so I can't be a bad host."
 * Chiyo "That's because Aeryn is a good girl."

Half and hour later we ate lunch. Shrimp stir fry with bok-choy and other vegetables. For a tomboyish nerd, she's a surprisingly decent cook.
 * Chiyo "Mmmmmm, delicious."
 * Aeryn "Are you really okay skipping school like this?"
 * Chiyo "How about you? You've been gone for a week. Our math teacher misses your high grades."
 * Aeryn "H-hey. I asked you first."
 * Chiyo "One morning is fine. After all, this is much much better than cafeteria food. Why do you skip so much anyways?"
 * Aeryn "Because I felt like it."
 * Chiyo "Because you felt like it?"
 * Aeryn "Yup. 'Cause I felt like it."

I shrugged and continued eating.

later


 * Chiyo "いってきます. "
 * Aeryn "Don't say that. This isn't your house."

She facepalmed again.
 * Chiyo "HA! You understood what I was saying!"
 * Aeryn "Shut up and leave already."

She shoved me outside.
 * Aeryn "The bus comes in 10 minutes, so go back to school already."
 * Chiyo "How do you know when the bus comes? Were you concerned I'd get cold?"
 * Aeryn "Hey. I'm not Kaira. I'm allowed to be dere sometimes."
 * Chiyo "Bye, Aeryn. Thanks for having me over!"
 * Aeryn "Yeah, yeah. ...see you later."

She closed the door.