Jay
Once again, the early morning had drawn Elya out of her dorm. The creeping dawn reached its hands out and beckoned the girl forward— charming her with solitude and silence. 
It worked every time.

Elya was folded in a chair in the middle of a dead empty common room. A bowl full of cut fruit was resting in her lap. A blank sort of stare was on her face, a stare that waltzed with the dark void of night. Clearly she was in her own mind; distracted, and not expecting anyone to talk to her. 

There were few moments Elya felt fine to linger in public spaces so casually, this current moment was fortunately one of them. 

Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment. 
*Quiet.*
Mary
Arriving this early was SO unlucky! 
The trip over was a hassle (and then some), and the airport affairs fell along similar lines. It was... Difficult to be bright, cheery, and presentable before the sun had even begun to rise. Your whole body felt sluggish. Lethargic. 
She wasn't exactly a stranger to something like a 3 A.M flight, not unfamiliar with the concept of calling up an Uber to move from place to place. That was all under the guise of photoshoots, commercial sets, and other things that put her in the spotlight. EXCITING stuff, y'know? Stuff that MATTERED.
This? This 'Newton's Cradle' nonsense? Didn't matter.
She would've much preferred a later start, maybe sometime around the middle of the day, giving her ample time to prepare and wake herself up a bit more.
Instead, bad luck stabbed her like a thorn in her side, and the dreary ride in the government-issued vehicle did NOTHING to raise her spirits.
This whole situation was bad luck, huh.

She made no effort to conversate with the people who had brought her here, resting her head on the side of the car in a futile attempt to get some rest.
She didn't feel the need to. She'd likely never see them again. Why bother.

When she finally arrived, she was quietly shown to the site of her new living space, her 'dorm room.'
Kinda like boarding school, yeah? Boarding school for freaks. 
Guess she was a *Freak* Now. How the mighty fall.

She courteously thanked the staff member she had written off as unimportant upon first meet, and slipped into something a bit more comfortable than her travel clothes. Splashed some water on her face. Glared at herself in the mirror. Getting herself to wake up, dammit.
Once changed, freshened up, and substantially more alive, she exited her room, quietly shutting the door behind her with a click of the doorknob.

She wandered into the common room, full of all sorts of distractions.
Not so full of people.
And who could blame them? It's EARLYYYYYYY! She wasn't excited to be up and at 'em either.
Might as well act it, though.

Her plush slippers met the dingy carpet as she looked around the room, gazing in all directions.
**"Huh."** She muttered under her breath.
Eyes settling on the *One* Person inhabiting the place. 
She smiled. Because now she knew she had to.

Approaching quietly, she sat down in the unoccupied chair next to hers, completely uninvited.
She wasn't that pretty. Some makeup and a few highlights would do her wonders.
**"Good morning!"** She said so in a low, quiet tone, but cheerful enough to convey that she was happy. Or something.
What a joke.

She looked through the window to her left.
**"Pretty outside, isn't it?"**
Then looked back at the girl. Silently EGGING her to answer.
*Entertain me.*
Jay
Elya looked up, her eyes opening to study who had sat down next to her. What met her gaze was a well kept girl, with short peach toned hair, and striking green eyes. 

She looked *Too* Put together for such an early hour, and her cheery tone made Elya's jaw tense. 
*Why are you talking to me.*

"Morning."
Elya's voice was cool and accented. Her words like frost, with a voice that spun a certain apathetic freeze. 
She clearly wasn't interested. 

"Indeed."

She picked a strawberry out of her bowl and took a small bite. Paying no mind to the one next to her.
Mary
Oh, you silly stranger!
Mei is ALWAYS well-kept. Are you kidding?

No matter how much you play the uninterested, cold, apathetic game, you will lose. You will fail like a little loser and she will make you talk.
*You will talk!*
This is just the conversation portion. God knows what comes next.
She nodded with mildly dull excitement, to give the feeling of an ever-so-slightly tired disposition, but remaining approachable. Approachable to MOST, anyway. This girl, this... *Weirdo*, probably wouldn't be nearly as responsive. 
This was calculated subconsciously. Aware she wasn't being genuine; putting forth just enough effort to keep it up.

She didn't care where this conversation went. If this goth chick came out of it liking her or not.
Obviously, it was IDEAL if she did, but even Mei knows some expectations are unrealistic.
As long she doesn't have to spend another second in silence, staring at some stupid collection of another four walls. SO sick of that.
**"Yeah! Does the light always filter in like that..?"**

She didn't offer much of a chance to respond.
**"You can't see much of this in the city. Not where I'M from, anyway. Buildings all over the place, you can't enjoy all this!"**
She sighed wistfully, being only a tad overdramatic.
**"You guys have GOT to enjoy living so simply! Content with doing basically nothing!"**
This was her weird way of coping. Making this stupidly moronic situation out to be better than it was. 
What ELSE was she supposed to do?!

If you lived with the reality of a harsh situation for too long, it would affect you. You can't let petty things affect you. 
If you do, you're weak. And Mei is far from WEAK.

Her green eyes watched this girl carefully. Careless. Unaware of how lucky she was just to be near her.
Whatever. Can't please everyone, she supposed.
She poked her cheek innocently.
**"Anyway! Where'd 'ya get the fruit? Is there a dining hall of some kind? Oooo, is the food any good?"**
A smile on the edge of her words.

Unclear, at this point, if there was something beneath it.
Jay
Elya let the girl across from her chatter. She was incredibly talkative for such an early hour— which shocked Elya because very little did she ever have so much to say. The girl wondered where all the words came from. 

The brief moments of silence between each surface level attempt at small talk was incredibly cherished by the one who had come out here so early to be *Alone.* Whatever, she could not control who did what. 
The girl sighed and adjusted her posture. 

"I suppose so."
Elya finally spoke, in reply to the *Living simply* Comment. Something about it felt back handed— was this stranger implying Elya did nothing of importance?
Perhaps she was right, there was a level of boredom that plagued her here. So many rules, many threads left untethered. 

"The fridge. I bought half of it, the other I share." 
She popped a blackberry in her mouth, and motioned behind her with a somewhat dismissive gesture. 

"There is a kitchen there for student use, and a cafeteria downstairs. The food is fine." 
*This conversation would be over soon.*
Mary
The only reason Mei bothered to talk was because she had spent ENOUGH time in silence (and if not that, uncomfortable questioning sessions) these past few weeks. It was supposed to be refreshing, stranger! Play along! It wouldn't hurt you to form a sentence with more than a couple words!!

The compliment WAS backhanded, intentionally so. Almost as if to say: *I envy you! I spent my whole life WORKING towards something, the TOP! And you all are just content scraping the bottom of the barrel! What a quaint little existence! Wonder what that's like!*

At the mention of something like a community fridge, Mei's eyes widened a bit. She'd only shared her food with people during long shoots, and even then, that was just takeout. Nothing special. 
The fact that everyone's meals would be together baffled her. No one had their own individual storage? 
Yeah, call her 'out-of-touch.' She didn't care. 
It's called a STANDARD. It's a shame this place didn't bother to raise theirs.

Her nonchalant attitude was pressing all the wrong buttons. She'd give her slack, though, the generous person she was! It was the MORNING! Nobody could fault her for being a bit out of it. 
She'd perk up a bit later on, probably. Give it time.
Maybe THEN she'd give her the attention she was owed! She better!

She nodded quickly in response to the last two comments.
Kitchen. *Cafeteria.*
Well, this place was basically a school. Pretty commonplace to have a cafeteria with sub-par cuisine. 
Living here was gonna REALLY suck, wasn't it? 'Fine' wasn't really gonna cut it.
**"Uh-huhhhhhhh. Gotcha."**

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. 
**"You like it here? I mean — sorry — how long have you BEEN here? Let's start there."** She lightly laughed in the middle of her comment.
**"Kinda like prison, huh? All 'what are you in for?' Hah! Funny.."** Her tone was joking and lighthearted. 

And no, this conversation wasn't ending anytime soon.
Jay
Elya finally took the moment to look at the one across from her. A proper *Look.* The sharp stare Elya possessed found itself dawning upon the other like a dying star. It held an emptiness, a slight annoyance, with an analytical origin. It was the stare of one with a pin in her hand, and a bug pressed against a piece of a styrofoam. 
*What do you want from me.*

The girl shifted again. The oversized hoodie draped over her torso and arms moved with the soft movement like the shifting feathers of an owl— perched. 

"I have been here a less than a year."
That's all she was saying. 
Elya did not let her gaze linger. The one who sat too close, and talked far too sweet, was setting every nerve she possessed on edge. Notoriously people who were well liked and sociable, *Did not* Get along with Elya. This was clearly one who enjoyed talking to others, and would only get along with similar people. 

"Yes. It is like prison." 
She shrugs softly, her voice remains monotone— almost robotic. 
"However, we get to go to town should we want, so I cannot complain too much."
Mary
As this girl surveyed her, Mei took the opportunity to do the same. The two stared each other down, each pretending they weren't.
...Or, at least, Mei was. Attempting to keep the interaction casual was difficult when there was so much to pick apart. Like the way she treated her like she didn't matter.
Or her appearance. *Dear god.* Where did she even start?
Her hair was split apart, jagged and messy. It was obvious she'd either done it herself, or had the option to sue a barber for damages.
Her outfit was drab and unassuming, making no statement or clear indication of who she was, besides communicating the fact that she didn't care. Not an IDEAL first impression, sorry!
You should be bold! Curated! Cutting-edge, but classic! 

In reality, you should be a bit more like Mei, but not everyone has the potential. Guess she got the short end of the stick.
**"Less than a year?"** She softly giggled. **"Suuuuuper specific! But whatever, I won't push. Say as much or as little as you want, I guess."** She lightly shrugged one shoulder to punctuate her sentence.
Maybe her line of thinking was right. They weren't likely to get along. 
But she should get at least SOMETHING out of this ordeal!! Conversations don't always HAVE to be two-way, but she wanted to be given SOMETHING more than dead air. Needed some kind of incentive to even stick around.
It's fine. This'll go somewhere. Has to.

At her second comment, Mei's smile widened. Ironic, given how angry that statement made her. Suppose it hadn't really SET IN that this was how she'd be living for the next who-knows-how-long. Prison. *Sweet.*
Her eyes continued to look this darkly-toned girl up and down, listening to the way she spoke. Noting how she behaved.

*'Least there's room for improvement. The 'Before' photos need to pull from someone.*

Her eyes brightened, just a little, at the last statement.
**"Town? That's awesome! What's it like around here? What're the best shops?"**
She quietly winced in through closed teeth, all of a sudden.
**"Oooough.. They don't provide us with money, do they? Tough luck.."**
She played with her pink acrylic nails, and her eyes darted back from them to the other girl's eyes.
**"That's dumb."** Suddenly a smidge more monotone, her voice lost a hinge of its excitement.

Wafting their way up to stare at the ceiling, green eyes no longer found interest in the nearly-black ones they'd been glued to.
*Yawn.* Newton's Cradle. A total bore.
Jay
The piercing gaze that stared back was one Elya could recognize. She *Was* Pretty, and the pink of her lips and cheeks was almost *Too* Perfect. It matched, like the warm tint of cherry blossoms in spring, or soft vanilla cake. Yet, there was a lack of admiration behind this recognition. 

There was a moment where Elya missed the other person she saw each morning. The quiet, passive, short conversation by someone who acted very much like her and spoke in a similar calm tone. This new girl's overly chipper tone was beginning to drain her; she was saying so many words with so little meaning. 
It reminded her too much of people she did not enjoy being around. 

"Yes, it's not far— and I'm not... Sure." 
*Shopping? Money?* 

Without another word, Elya grabbed her bowl in her hand and stood up. She let her skirt fall to her ankles— moving with a poised sort of elegance, like fog billowing through misty forests. 

"Can you find someone else to ask these questions to? This conversation is not... Interesting to me." 

Elya was no welcome party— she didn't care for greetings and smiles. There was a reason she stayed in her dorm. 
There was a part of her that knew she was particularly annoyed today, but Elya did not care to think through how poorly this could end. 

She wasn't trying to be mean. She was simply stating a fact.
Mary
Oh!
So it was like that. She wanted to play like that. She wanted to play... At all! Her loss; WOW, was she about to lose.

This was entirely avoidable! It really was.
Not the obscenities Mei was thinking, not what she was contemplating doing, not any of the blame that could've allegedly fallen on her shoulders. No.
Nope! No dice. YOU could've avoided this. 
You could've been a nice, accommodating sort-of-roommate and you could've sucked it up and listened to her talk. You could've at least *Pretended* To care, moron. It isn't hard! SHE does it all the TIME!
*It doesn't matter if you enjoy it. Conversations move on my timetable, not yours. That's how things work.*

When she stood, a full(y annoyed) smile broke out onto Mei's face. 
Excellent start, Newton's. Officially the pits!

**"Um.."**
Mei stood as well, and in two large steps, slid in front of this stranger, choosing to block her path. She crossed her pale arms and continued to smile.
Something was evidently hiding underneath, like when you cut the thorns off of a rose; but the nubs are still sharp enough to draw blood if you press them.
Mei was feeling pressed.
**"It's so early! Nobody else to talk to!"**
There was no consideration behind her next words; they just slipped out. Like a waterfall. A dam starting to snap into pieces.

**"I knew you weren't all that interested, believe me, I can tell!"**
She proceeded to clasp her hands together, a slight 'clap' sounding out loud as a result of the connection.
**"And I'm SO sorry that you feel that way! Mhm!"** She nodded with mock earnest.
**"But seriously, social interaction never hurt!"**

There was a very brief pause as she innocently tilted her head to the side.
**"I mean, how often do you talk to people, anyway?"**
Without missing a beat; **"You seem pretty quiet. Not a compliment."**

She vaguely gestured around with one hand, placing the other on her hip.
**"If you really THINK about it, this is in YOUR best interest! Learning how to... Y'know.. Chat!"** 
Her gaze locked on to hers, with condescending seriousness.
**"You aren't gonna get anywhere if you can't hold a conversation for a few minutes."**
Her smile broke a bit wider.

**"Soooo? You gonna sit back down?"**
What she didn't say was *'Or are you going to go back to being a wallowing, loser bitch?'*
But her aura spoke every syllable. And ENJOYED it.
Jay
Elya looked Mei up and down.
The silence was deafening in comparison. 
*'I could tell you weren't interested.' Could you now?*
This entire interaction went from mildly annoying to putting Elya instantly on edge. She gritted her teeth the moment the other girl blocked her path. Her eyebrows furrowed as something in her core itched to defend herself, but she refused to feel immediately threatened. 

"Then why do you keep talking?" 
Elya's voice remained unaffected, a stark contrast to the other's fizzing bubble of words and shifting tone. 

The comment about Elya's inability to hold a conversation made her dead eyes blink. She could not care less about holding a conversation with someone she didn't want to. She didn't value social interaction— she would rather be doing *Anything* Else than this. 
The girl didn't respond. 

She didn't need this preppy girl caring about *Her* Best interest. 

"No I won't.
Now move, *Please.*"
Elya would just step around but this stranger had positioned herself at the only exit point between the chairs and a small coffee table. 
*Lovely.*
Mary
Her fist balled. Strong, artificial nails pressing into soft palms.
*Why do I keep talking?*
*Because I want to!*
*Do you really think it's about you?*
*It's not!*

She chose not to spill every ounce of her guts, and instead dug her nails even deeper. 
Logic says that it was stupid to play a game that you have no skin in. 
No popularity to fall back on, no cronies to back you up, no influence. 
You needed influence to succeed. Not just HERE, but everywhere.

This girl's been here longer.
She's got her beat. 
But Mei... Mei always refused to go down without giving the other person hell. 
She ran the possibilities out like a runway carpet, prepared to trample over them all the same.
She considered several courses of action, and decided on the easiest option.
Occam's Razor. The simplest choice is most often correct.

She scoffed, and she wasn't quiet about it.
**"Do you hate me that much?"**
She gave a laugh too, for good measure. Salt in the wound.
**"You like — JUST met me! Can't sit down for one conversation. Yikes."**
She crossed her arms again. **"How do your friends tolerate..."**
And then she mocked her 'Aha!' moment. 'Realizing' that it was obvious she was lacking in that department. 
**"Ohh..."** She solemnly nodded, simply oozing toxicity.
**"Sorry! Forgot!"**

She turned to the side, looking at her from her peripheral. 
**"Look, we're gonna talk, or you're gonna have to make me move."** A slight smirk.
Occam's frickin' Razor. 
If she could get her in trouble for hurting her in any way, shape, or form, she could damage her reputationally.
That's the oldest trick in the book. The simplest choice.
Jay
Elya's face twisted into something of disgust. She was unsure what this girl was playing at or why she was so incredibly desperate to talk to someone like Elya. 
It was a display that set off every alarm in the girls mind. All of this felt... Wrong. 
*Why was she doing this?*
*What did she want?*

Elya took a step back. 
This girl's insults made Elya's skin crawl— she felt as though suddenly a swarm of bugs had been released onto her. Memories, moments, all of which now fresh in Elya's mind.

"Insulting people is no way to get them to talk to you."
*You're just a bundle of joy aren't you.*
*Better question, how do people tolerate you.*
This was no way to make friends. 

"I'm not going to do that." 
Elya rolled her eyes. 
"What do you even want? If you have a question you need answered *That* Badly, you can ask it now."
Mary
She's GOT to be sick in the head. That's the only explanation. 
Why ELSE would she turn up her nose at someone like Mei?! 
This was like walking into a five-star restaurant, with all the time and money in world to enjoy its benefits, and choosing to go *Dumpster-diving* Instead.
You could talk to her. Or you could sulk in silence.

Who in their RIGHT MIND would pick the silence?

She noticed the twist in the gothic girl's facial expression, could pick up that something was amiss. 
The poor thing had probably been bullied before. Maybe she was coming on a bit too harshly! Triggering some this kind of response was NOT ideal...
...For HER! 
How was she supposed to build a solid reputation if the first person she interacted with had something negative to say? The word of the people was valuable, and she'd just risked blowing her first impression. She might as well consider it already dead.
Lying about this interaction to everybody else who WAS bound to ask was going to be exhausting.
Coating it in layers and layers of sugar, and hardening it enough to keep the narrative straight.. Dammit, Mei, there were like a THOUSAND other ways to do this! Come ON!

She fought to get her brain back on the right track. Stray it from the idea that she was really this nasty, cold-hearted husk, and guide it back to the path of the 'nice girl.' 
This was a perfect example of what NOT to do! A cautionary tale of hot-headed hubris. 
At least mask it better next time.

At the eye roll, her nails were leaving marks in her palm, with enough pressure to squeeze a lemon dry.
But one deep, slightly-shuddering sigh later, and she was back on track.
Smile. The easy-going kind.
**"You're SO right, actually. We totally got off on the wrong foot."**
Her nails were still burrowed, but loosened a tad. Body language. 
**"The trip over was REALLY long and exhausting, so I guess it made me a lot more irritable than I expected."**
Her smile gained a woeful edge. She wasn't GUILTING her opposition, per se, but she was... Desperately trying to pick up the pieces of the conversation she'd smashed. Trying to blow out the small flames.
**"I don't want anything in particular. Just wanted to talk to someone, get my MIND off of everything. It's tough to move across countries for some weird program just because the government told you to, right? Over some silly incident..."** She gave a half-hearted laugh.
She hoped that this tiny information drop would pique her interest enough to stay.

**"We can talk about whatever YOU want! I'll shut up and listen!" **
She gave the impression of thinking about something. Not mocking contemplation, but simply acting like it. Making it believable.
**"Orrrr... I guess you can go."** Pick your battles. You have to know you won't win 'em all.
She sidestepped, clearing the path.
**"If I could get your name before 'ya leave, that'd be cool, but it's whatever."
**
This was a last-ditch effort. If this didn't work, she'd go back to her room, read her magazines, and wallow.
She leaned slightly to the side from her new position, watching her carefully.
*Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeee bite the bait!*
Jay
The entire interaction thus far had been rather pointlessly hostile. Elya had known generally people don't take kindly to being told to be quiet— but this new girl was a whole new flavour of desperate.
After confirmation that this stranger didn't even have a question she was in need of asking, Elya began to become even more confused. Her eyebrows pinched, the scar on her right twisting with the tension. An inquisitive gaze fell upon the other girl, less disgust now and more frustrated confusion. 

The long trip, the irritability, Elya didn't know enough to understand if that was believable or not— or reason enough to put aside the way she was so quick to so blatantly insult her. 
The sick weight in her stomach remained. 

The way this girl spoke had a way of getting under Elya's *Skin.* 
*Was it her fault? Had she been too rude? Was she being horrible to this sweet girl for nothing?*
Elya swallowed. 
*She insulted me first.*

"Yes. It is quite... Difficult. I do hope the following days are easier on you then."
Spoken through gritted teeth but the meaning was all the same. She did not wish the hardship of adjusting to a new environment upon people— especially when she knew how hard it was herself. 

Elya shifted slightly.

"Not unless I get yours first." 
The girl tilted her head to the side, her intrigue now obvious. There was no smile with her words. 
Which was a choice she was consciously making. Elya didn't owe her any amount of politeness at this point. 

*Who are you.*

She didn't move, not yet.
Mary
Yes, FINALLY! She didn't have her quite where she wanted her, not yet, anyway, but this was forward progress! Several steps in the right direction.

Her now-soft demeanor did nothing to ease her piercing green eyes, looking right through Elya. Nearing her heartstrings, threatening to cut them loose.
Daggers... Still in their sheath.

Her smile of warm vanilla and sugar persisted at her first comment, despite how clear her disdain was. She preferred to take compliments and well-wishes — no matter how forced — at face value. Your ego stayed alive that way.
She played to her empathy, trailing her behaviors like a stalker following their target's every move.

This was kinda like a game! How many times can I move you around, little pawn (first of many), how many times can I make you think what I WANT you to think?
No, this wasn't LIKE a game. It was one. A game rigged in her favor, with rules curated by her own manicured hands. 
The best kind.

Her nervous shifting didn't deter her, in fact, it only added fuel to her fire. She loved watching the less important squirm.
Then she asked for her name, an opportunity she snagged without hesitation.
Saying her name was like a sweet treat. A gift of information to the person it was bestowed upon, and a blazing reminder to herself of who she was. Where she stood. 

*Mei Yoshida.*
*The name the world knows.*
*That's me.*

Her grin became more laid-back, more approachable, as her eyes briefly closed to accentuate such a feeling.
**"Oh, that's easy! Mei Yoshida."** Her eyes opened, the pupils in her emerald eyes growing larger with the light filtering in.
**"Don't wear it out!"** 

She leaned forward a bit, placing one hand elegantly behind her back and extending the other in the all-too-typical friendly gesture of a handshake.

**"And yours? C'mon, don't leave a girl hanging!"**
No matter how harsh her next reaction could be, she had to remain cool.
No matter what.

*Come on, kind stranger.* She seemed to beckon. *The garden is safe.*
Jay
Elya looked at Mei, stared directly back at her piercing, alive, green eyes. Elya had a stare that did not rival its energy; she had a stare that was empty, dead, and yet heavy all the same. There was a call to the void in the brown, almost black, eyes that she usually covered with contacts. It was a warning, a shield. 
Mei's eyes held a sweet, inviting, sort of trance— Elya's was barbed wire wrapped around an already ten foot tall fence. 
One wanted you to stay.
The other wanted you to stay *Out.*

"Elya." 
The girl did not shake Mei's hand. She remained stationary, not even looking down to register it. 
*Mei Yoshida.* Elya would remember that, and for all the wrong reasons.

Silence. The blank expression on the taller girls face remained. 

"I hope you find someone else to bother." 
With a quick motion, Mei now completely out of her way, Elya began moving back towards the dorm rooms, her fruit in hand. 
She knew Mei could easily follow her, but prayed that she wouldn't. 

*So much for a relaxing morning.*
As much as Elya didn't want to admit it— this girl had gotten under her skin.
Mary
Her unshaken hand only retreated behind her back when she realized this girl was really THAT stubborn. THAT ignorant, and quite frankly, THAT stupid. 
If she wanted to make an enemy out of her within her first hour, that was her choice. What-the-fuck-ever. You couldn't please everyone.
It still burned beneath her skin that anyone, no matter how self-righteous, cold, or edgy, could ever treat her like a discard.

She was the GRAND prize, are you kidding?! You can't toss something like that to the side. 
Or maybe you could. If your name was Elya, and you probably had a moronic last name, and a moronic family, and would end up leaving the world with no legacy other than your idiocy.
Her smile etched into her face, and, hopefully, Elya's memory. 
*You would've been SO lucky to be friends with me.*
*Don't come crawling when everything falls back on you. Elya.*

She wiped her hand that had been so RUDELY left hanging on the outside of her silk nightdress, as if even putting it in proximity to the girl had given it some kind of infection. Something that needed to be cleaned.

Someone. Else. To. *Bother.*
No matter how much fury rose in her throat, no matter how many obscenities threatened to break the walls of her perfect teeth, she stood fast.
Cheerily calling out; 
**"Enjoy the rest of your morning, then, Elyaaaa!" **Every consonant and vowel oozed of condescension, a giggle topping it all off. 
She was not gifted a response, nor a second glance.

The second her back turned, her smile dropped. 
Her brows furrowed in immense frustration, and she groaned slightly, coming from the back of her throat and a place unspoken. The facade was no longer necessary.
What a WASTE of energy — god, no, what a WASTE, point *Blank*. 

So much for a good first impression. So much for a peon to kick off the prison sentence. 
So much for a good morning! Ugh!

She practically stomped her way back to her room, fighting not to slam the door as hard as she could and risking waking anybody else. 
She buried her face in a pillow and allowed the anger to envelop her.
*Elya.*
*You're SO over, Elya.*

*I'm gonna RUIN you.*

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