queen of vanity

”yeah, you make that pretty damn clear.”  ( — perhaps alise had a low tolerance for ignorance or she really just wanted to stop wasting time— maybe a mixture of both, but she also didn’t want her snappy attitude to get in the way of her fun. still, she didn’t exactly find his little antics funny— andno, she did not just chuckle because he was being absolutely ridiculous. and maybe a ‘you’re annoying as hell, you know’ slipped from her lips before she could take it back. ) “not yours, huh? what you found a few pieces of change on the ground and thought you got a little lucky? give me a break.” ( — a roll of her eyes and a flick of the wrist later, she started back on her way, finally reaching the end of the park that opened up into the busy streets of the city towards the nearby bar. and maybe she was a little curious to know how he got it, too. )

                ❛ barbeque, you say? i won’t let this chance to pass! come in! ❜

— “you have a nice place! and i have rice and chicken and rice and steak, which one do you want? oh-- and i hope this wasn't a bad time, me just barging in and all-- i'm alise.”

                       ❛ free lunch, you say? i’m in!❜

— “good, 'cause i just bought takeout. do you like barbeque? there's too much meat in here to eat by myself.”

"I can’t believe this is my—our new home." She mused, her voice still home to its usual happy tone yet also laced with one of a subtle nostalgia and longing for her old apartment. But a new start would be good for her, she needed to break free from the stalemate that she found herself in, and Alise was just as good of a companion as any, maybe even better.

As she listened to the latter speak of boxes and her home in Australia, Irene’s eyes brightened and she watched both the girl and the referred boxes that lay around random parts of the rooms. “You already have decorations?” She addressed first, the words saturated with an interest that was subconsciously directed towards the latter half of their conversation.

she agreed, quietly nodding her head as she too gave the new place another gaze from top to bottom. just hearing her say our made alise wonder what the future held with the roommates. living with a stranger aside, she wanted more than anything to be able to enjoy the time spent. however long they'd be sharing, she wanted to make the best of it. 

"and yeah, i got a bit excited and bought a few things for the walls and little personalized trinkets to go here and there. but the stuff's new so, if something doesn't sit right-- we got thirty days to return it." she tapped one of the boxes in reference to her question, a smaller one out of the bunch. when it came to decoration, alise was usually the simple, modern type, but with a hint of personality. she really wanted to give these cream walls a splash of color, it reminded her too much of her old bedroom.

"really? woah that's amazing, i've never been there." she thought irene's korean felt a bit less organic, but then again so was hers. "so your parents, did they teach you korean?" alise asked, now coming to a stop just before the kitchen. "ah, it's hard to deal with sometimes, but i learned how to mask it as best i can. i think?" it was almost like learning to speak her mother language all over again after stepping back into korea-- after believing she'd stay in australia for the rest of her life, she'd grew accustomed to the way they spoke. though, that dream was short-lived and the transition was fairly awkward.

it had been a while since she had the opportunity to hold a conversation with someone in english, let alone have someone initiate one. alise honestly couldn't feel any luckier to have met someone who shared something like this, she already felt comfortable around her. clearing her throat, she spoke, her tongue thick with her accent. "then let's communicate like this then, ay?"

( -- alise felt a jolt of anticipation as she heard a voice echo from inside, fixating a smile on her face upon hearing the click of the door unlock. seconds later, she was greeted by the petite girl with the bright voice and features to match. alise nodded once, waving her fingers. ) 

"eh, you ask too many questions. you'll see when we get there, ever heard of surprises?" ( -- if alise could roll her eyes any harder they'd be stuck in the back of her head--why couldn't he just relax? maybe alise was too stubborn to admit that this little game she was playing by herself was only a call to have someone accompany her on a small outing for a drink. maybe take a few hits, do some aimless window shopping that could be a bit obnoxious to everyone else but them. just have some fun. perhaps things she could have done alone, but what was the fun in that? it wasn't like she was asking him to rob a bank with her. yet. )

"Oh, no, this is barely anything compared to what I’ve got back in my car." She responded with a small, almost embarrassed laugh as she set it down on the floor next to the door. "I think it’d be easier to get your stuff set up first. That might make it easier for me. We can do it tomorrow, maybe. Or have an all-nighter." Irene beamed at the idea despite it being so childish. Lately, the only all-nighters she even thought of pulling were because she needed to finish a paper for the day after or a photoshoot had taken too long to wrap up.

But this was something that she wouldn’t mind staying up for. Home decor was somehow a passion that tied together with her love of fashion. To have a house as nicely dressed as it can be was something that she took pride in, something that she hoped the latter did, too.

the air became a bit stiffling when the realization of living with someone. besides her parents-- who were never around anyway, alise had always kept to herself, and been in her own space. this would be a new experience, definitely something she'd have to get used to-- and fast. 

however, it excited her. this meant she could start over again, even if it was as simple as keeping her room organized, it would benefit her in the long run instead of allowing piles and piles of papers and textbooks stack to the ceiling, ultimately creating stress. she dreaded going up to that dorm every night and getting out of that environment was one of the reasons why she decided to leave it all behind. 

have you ever: dated someone twice: nope. 
been cheated on: no...? kissed someone and regretted it: nope. lost someone special: yep. been depressed: uh huh. been drunk and threw up: couple times.

list three favorite colors: black, blue, green.

Truthfully the entire move had remained surreal to her. She had lived in her previous apartment ever since she could remember and to leave both it and her previous roommate behind her were things that she both got ridiculed and supported for. But with the reminder that it was what was necessary to make her schedules easier and less pressuring on her part, she sucked it up and headed towards her new building with nothing on her but a backpack and in only a minute or so (a benefit in living so close to the main floor), faced the door that had her new home behind it.

With the response that she received at her knocks, Irene blinked in a display of hesitation before she opened the unlocked door and stepped inside the area with an increasingly growing smile that beamed her approval of the flat’s appearance. Despite the boxes that took away from the appearance, it added onto the excitement of moving to a new place. “Sorry for knocking—I forgot my key in my car.” She said once her eyes found her roommate.

tall-- thank god, alise had feared being stuck with someone how couldn't reach the top cabinets without struggling. that was something in common, besides both being fairly about the same size-- maybe they could borrow clothes, wouldn't that be fun? and from the looks of it, she had nice style. maybe slightly different from her own, alise wouldn't have paired those shoes with that top, but then again--

alise, she's talking to you. well, waiting now. snapping out of her silent physical appearance analyzation, she sat up fully before sliding off her bed. "oh! no, no it's okay, i didn't mean to yell-- alise." she smiled, awkwardly, while extending her hand-- again, awkwardly. she'd played this meeting over and over in her head previously so that this exact thing wouldn't happen, rehearsing her lines and practicing her smile and laugh, but that was all worthless now.