And For You?

The idea she had to share anything with anyone was a huge pain. Yeah, sure, she’d be up for a collaboration on social media but that was different; she was discerning with who she picked out. And it was absolutely, always on her terms and no one else’s. Was this really how jury duty worked? It was way more annoying than she ever thought. No, a creepy jury duty…? Ugh, whatever, she’s too frustrated to think about it for too long.

Frustrated heels click against the floor as she speeds to her room. At the very least, she can be the first one there and set some ground rules as soon as her partner arrives.

Selphie reaches for the handle only to collide with another hand. She jumps back and glares at the person as they go for the door. Well, fine. If they wanted to open it for her, that was fine. She shouldn’t have to do drudge work, anyway. But… wait a second… what was this? The person… this girl… she was kinda cute. Not as cute as she was, though. Probably, right? In any case, she probably didn’t know how to light herself perfectly when the sun went down, angling orange light sharply to cascade amber hues on her cheeks and…

WHY WASN’T THE DOOR OPEN?

Ugh, couldn’t she even open a door?

Selphie folds her arms in some sort of defiance to nothing at all, surveying the other girl with judging eyes. She couldn’t even recognize her face? Didn’t she go online…?

She wasn’t going to be defeated here, no way.

“Uh-huh. And you must be…”

Her eyes go to the door. Ah, yes. Time for a power move. Intentionally getting the name wrong.

“Carlotta.”

“...” 

Charlotte stares blankly, filling the tense silence with only a few blinks. She tilts her head, as if studying the girl, but her face is clear of her earlier anger and indignation. 

“Being illiterate on jury duty might put you at a bit of a disadvantage. Don’t expect me to read all those documents for you or anything...” 

Her completely deadpan delivery made it difficult to tell whether that was a comeback or a genuine concern of Charlotte’s. Without giving Selphie time to process that herself, though, she points harshly at the bizarre nameplate on the door and enunciates her name slowly as if she were introducing herself to a toddler. 

Dorms? As in, they’re expected to stay here? Longer than just a few hours? It dawned on Charlotte in the moment that she lacked extra clothes aside from her new uniform, but at least Merlot would get to see her in it after all. It was awfully cute, after all. And it was almost as if her excursion to the new restaurant wasn’t interrupted at all!

Except it was. And now she has a roommate… of all things. 

Charlotte walked down the hallway, examining the bizarre drawings and memorizing the names, amusing herself slightly by attempting to guess who the unfamiliar ones belonged to. 

The amusement lasted a solid 2 minutes before boredom and disinterest overcame Charlotte once more. May as well see what the rooms are like, in any case, if they’re truly stuck here. She made her back to Room 3 and reached out her the handle, taking no notice of the girl who had walked up at the same time and evidently had the same idea. 

When their hands brushed against one another, Charlotte jumped back and glared at the girl. As if to assert her dominance, she lunged forward and put all her force on the door handle, determined to get in first. Unfortunately, it was very much locked and all Charlotte succeeded in doing was pushing down on the handle with nearly enough force to break it off.

“Ugh. Seriously??”

Charlotte snapped her hand back aggressively. Then, as if suddenly remembering the other girl was even there, her expression blanked and she addressed her with all the interest of seeing a slice of soggy bread on the sidewalk. 

“You’re Selphie, then.”

When her jury summons came that morning, Charlotte had every intention to ignore it. She had more important things on the agenda, after all- such as Merlot making another grand appearance at the restaurant she had just gotten hired at. Her parents, however, were relentless. 

So, Charlotte complied. Still donning her new uniform as a form of mourning, she left for the courthouse.

…only to wake up here. 

“…" 

Among the raucous behavior of her fellow jurors, she is quiet. Almost uncaring. In a way, she isn’t even surprised. This is what she gets for missing out on a chance to see– 

”..an honor to meet you. Let’s… Let’s all do well… A-Alright?“

Among all the questions and arguments blending together, one all-too-familiar voice’s introduction stands well above the rest to Charlotte. Upon hearing it, she spots him immediately. Due to her complete disinterest in her situation, she hadn’t even bothered to scan over her fellow jurors, but now…

A high-pitched squeal breaks through a portion of the chaos, but she still doesn’t address him directly. Instead, she huddles over in her chair and begins muttering to herself almost inaudibly. 

”…Fate. It… has to be. I was brought here for– Has he noticed me yet? Is he looking over here? Looklooklook over here, Merlot. At me. Only at me…“