[sub]Collab with: [@Stern Algorithm][@BeastofDestiny][@Rekaigan][@lovely complex][/sub]
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As Shizuka sat there, not touching the food or the blue drink she had previously gotten from the bar, she notices Kazuma showing her a message on his phone again,  [color=a2d39c]"A friend of mine invited me over to her house for tonight, she said I should bring someone with me. Would you like to come along? She said we're going to play games and sleepover."[/color]  Though Shizuka didn’t have any alcohol in her system, she wasn’t thinking with her usual frame of mind.  Normally, she wouldn’t want to inconvenience anyone, or she would be cautious and find such an invitation extremely dubious.  Instead she said, [color=a187be]“I-I suppose I could take your friend up on her offer.  I need a place to spend the night.”[/color]

Kazuma nodded in response, getting up from his seat. He gently took Shizuka’s hand and guided her out of the venue. As they left the building, Kazu lifted the mask off his face and let it sit on his head as he took in a deep breath of the cold air. He felt the chill embrace him as they walked toward the street. Everything felt better already. It’s as if the party never happened. He waved down a taxi, ushering Shizuka into the backseat before getting in after her. He showed Amie’s address to the taxi driver, [color=orange]”Alright kiddo, I’ll take ya there.”[/color]. He quickly texted Amie, [color=a2d39c]”Almost at your place.”[/color] it read simply. The tone of it was ambiguous due to the lack of expression in text form. It wasn’t long before they made it to Amie’s house.. Or rather mansion. He didn’t expect his new friend to be so… wealthy.

When Shizuka and Kazuma arrive at Amity’s mansion, Shizuka is quite stunned; she hadn’t expected Kazuma’s friend to live in such an opulent estate.  She treads lightly as she approaches the front door, almost afraid that she’ll get something she can’t afford dirty or damaged.  Strangely enough, Shizuka has kept her helmet on; something about what happened at the New Year’s party has made her feel an inexplicable sense of shame, and keeping the mask on has helped her deal with it somewhat.
[hr]
Glancing at the time, Amity wondered if Kazu and his possible friend(s) were arriving any time soon (not having checked her phone). A crazy night of games and revelry would ensue and she couldn’t wait!  Curiosity fell upon the little idol as she walked out onto her balcony. By pure dumb luck, she saw a taxi car drive into her unreasonably long driveway. Something she knew her trio (Liam, Luke, Renee) wouldn’t need to drive. Giddy inside, the idol raced passed Kyle and yelled over the music, [color=ed145b] “THEY’RE HERE!”[/color] While the two friends had waited, they brought an abundance of alcohol and snackage into her bedroom (premade sandwiches, a lot of junk, and water, for when people started feeling sick). They also set up beer pong just in case everyone wanted to break the ice with that game first. She had music playing throughout the entire mansion (who knows where they’d end up tonight).

The current song that was playing: [hider= Hinoi Team - Night of Fire][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTBlKRzNf74[/youtube][/hider]
As an idol, who loved to dance, Amity took it upon herself (ever since she was little) to learn as many dances as she could. She even knew some Seyoncè and Justin Kimberlake grooves. Kyle would know this very well, since in America she danced in front of him on numerous occasions for the hell of it. 

During the time they waited for Amity’s friend to show up, they had prepared for a night of fun up in her room, though there was the potential to go downstairs and do other things as well.  After they set everything up, they basically sat around, continued to drink and just talked with each other.  Most of the topics were about random things, like how her work was going, memories of high school together, that one time Kyle got pantsed and immediately turned around and gut shot the unlucky bastard who did it to him. Good times.

He forgot how nice it was to just hang out with a friend of his, and the possibility of making more friends, like this Kazu person she invited was exciting.  The prospect of it all had Kyle’s mind slipping in and out of reality.  It wasn’t until Amity exclaimed at the top of her lungs that their guests had arrived and she bolted past him that concern and instinct brought him slamming back to earth.

Going to her stair railing, the idol slid down it like the hyper, drunkard she was, almost slipping off but no worries! Her landing was stable, for the most part. Before the new arrivals had the opportunity to ring the doorbell, Amity reached for the knob and swung it open abruptly. Her ice eyes gleamed under the front porch light. Along with her cute, small [url=http://g02.a.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1GUzGJXXXXXXJXXXXq6xXFXXX1/Sexy-Uniform-Temptation-Bath-Dress-Sexy-Japanese-Kimono-Dress-Lingerie-Sleepwear-Nightgown-Pajamas-Bathrobe-Nighty.jpg] red kimono[/url] pajamas the idol wore light pink, thigh high [url=http://www.ma-petite-chou.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Crochet-Away-Thigh-Highs-Pink.jpg]stocking socks[/url]. 

Kyle chased after the young idol, nearly having a heart attack as he saw her go sliding down the stair railing. His running speed picked up and it wasn’t until he saw her safely stumble to the ground that relief washed over him and he quickly jogged down the stairs just as she opened the door.  Presumably the male was Kazu, though he was curious about the kimono clad….Silver Fox?

The bass resounded through her mansion as if a dance party had been happening all night long. Without a second thought, the idol pounced on Kazuma excitedly, [color=ed145b]“Kazu~! I’ve missed you.”[/color] She couldn’t help but stay in his embrace for a moment or two, it was warm and comforting to her. 

Just before Kazu could even press the doorbell, the mansion door swung open. And before he could even react, a pink hurricane pounced on him. He soon felt the warmth of a smaller body pressed against him, he wrapped his arms around the pink haired embodiment of energy, whom he knew to be Amie. Her scent was sweet. Sweet Peas? [i][color=a2d39c]A good choice[/color][/i], he thought, trying to hold back the urge to actually sniff her. Her clothes were soft. Silk. He liked the feeling of silk.

And with that, Amity pulled away from Kazuma and started introductions, [color=ed145b]“Oh how rude of me… Welcome to the Shitty Night Club! Well, me not as bad as him though.”[/color] She gestured to her best friend, [color=LimeGreen]”Oy! Rude.”[/color] The American’s brows furrows and she continued, [color=ed145b]”Either way, hello, hello! Welcome to my home. I’ll give a tour after game night. I’m…”[/color] Giving a little twirl and an exuberantly adorable pose as if pictures were being taken for a magazine (with an added peace sign in the end), Amie simpered, [color=ed145b]“Amity Bellerose! International pop icon.”[/color]  

Kazu’s eyes went up and down Amie’s form when she had pulled away from him. He could feel his face go a slight shade of pink. Her outfit looked amazingly beautiful on her. He’d be lying if he was to say that he wasn’t slightly aroused as well. He shook his head slightly, attempting to banish gutter thoughts. Thankfully, something she said distracted him, [i][color=a2d39c]Pop icon?[/color][/i] that would explain a lot. Amie’s outfit when they first met. Her driver. Her mansion. It all made a lot of sense now. But that didn’t really change Kazu’s view on her. She was a good friend, a beautiful one at that. As his mother once told him, never judge a book by it’s cover. But he could damn well love one because of the cover and contents together. He couldn’t help but give her a bright smile as she did her pose though.

Kyle was somewhat curious to see how the two new guests would react to the ‘pop idol’ introduction.  At this point most anyone who was a fan of hers would be screaming and/or drooling all over her, but he was pleasantly surprised to find the exact opposite of a reaction.  Perhaps she had already told this Kazu fellow about her career and heritage, or maybe simply, he just didn’t give a fuck like Kyle; either way he already liked the guy.

Breaking out of her pose, the idol shrugged nonchalantly like it was not a big deal at all to meet a celebrity (did she even tell Kazu she was a pop icon?), [color=ed145b]”That’s besides the point. This is Kyle, he’s American. Kyle, this is Kazuma, he talks by phone, unless you learned sign language over the years.”[/color] She briefly gave Kazu a small phrase (one out of maybe three?) she learned over the week in sign language,  [color=ed145b]”I’m glad you came.”[/color] Sure, she didn’t teach herself the basics and just watched UsTube videos for phrases but she would learn soon enough. When Amity wanted to learn something she would, even if it took her years. Learning another language probably wouldn’t be terribly hard, especially since she knew more languages than the average human. 

Kazu gave Kyle a nod, tapping onto his phone for a moment before showing him a message. [color=a2d39c]”It’s nice to meet you.”[/color] it read. He was taken aback by Amie’s use of sign language, he didn’t expect her to have learnt any already, but he figured that she used UsTube to learn a little. [color=a2d39c]”Thank you for inviting me!”[/color] he wrote onto his phone, giving her a grin. He didn’t know if she knew how to understand that if he signed it to her, so just in case.

[color=LimeGreen]”Yo,”[/color] Kyle raised his hand nonchalantly before bringing it back down.  So Kazu was a mute then?  That would explain while he was looking through Amity’s UsTube channel that her feed was littered with a few of those ‘how to epic sign language’ videos...though some of those ended up having the guy smash a shit ton of eggs and pour gallons of milk everywhere.

Tilting her head and giving a puzzled stare, the idol brought her attention to the girl standing beside Kazu and wondered if she would remove her mask. Tonight would be a strange drinking night if the young lady kept her mask on. Allowing her attention to solely focus on the other girl, Amie approached her carefully (knowing very well the newcomer probably felt a little awkward) and gave a soft, accepting stare, [color=ed145b]“Sorry if I seem a bit... much. I’m just so happy for you all to be here. I’m glad Kazu was able to bring someone. It’s even better that you’re a girl!”[/color] Scratching her head and realizing she didn’t have any girlfriends, excluding Renee (and her maids), Amity sighed at the thought. Unfortunately, Amity and Kyle’s ex, Julia, hadn’t talked since before the break up and obviously (referring to the incident with Nori earlier this evening) Amity scared females away. 

[color=ed145b]“You can call me Amie.”[/color] The idol urged, in hopes that calling each other by nicknames would be a good start for a growing friendship. 

[color=a187be]“I-I’m sorry,”[/color] Shizuka said, coming out of her shock at Amity’s revelation, [color=a187be]M-my name is Otonashi Shizuka.”[/color] She introduced herself formally and bowed.  [color=a187be]“I didn't know Kazuma’s friend was so famous.”[/color] While Shizuka had heard of and seen Amity, she wasn't much of a consumer of popular media so she was slightly unfamiliar with Amity’s work, but she hoped it wouldn't show.  However more pressing than that, Shizuka took her helmet off, took out the hairpin that she was using to keep her hair up, and shook her hair loose. [color=a187be]”You were at the Shining Kettle a few weeks ago, right?”[/color] Shizuka recognized Amity from before.  She didn't know who she was at the time because she wasn't that familiar with celebrities  (and because Amity was in disguise) but seeing her again up close was enough. [color=a187be]”You were playing with a little girl...Lucille…”[/color] Shizuka’s voice dropped off.  Thinking about Lucille made her think of Alban.  She couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness and frustration even though she mentally chided herself not to, that there was nothing there, that they were just friends.

Kyle watched as the kimono-clad girl removed the helmet to reveal her face, instinctively his first thought went to [color=LimeGreen]”She’s cute,”[/color] before immediately banishing it and listening as the conversation went on. 

The idol’s brows furrowed as she took note of an underlying sadness in Shizuka’s voice, especially in the end when she mentioned Lucille. If they were given a moment alone, just girl to girl, the pink hurricane would inquire further but for now, Amie was going to turn Shizuka’s frown upside down (with alcohol)! Determined to change the subject as soon as possible, the idol agreed, [color=ed145b]“Yepp! That was me and if I do remember correctly, you’re a Veterinary Science student at Shine City Academy, yeah?”[/color] She realized how creepy that sounded... [color=ed145b]”Sorry… I may have eavesdropped on your conversation…”[/color] Her face was apologetic and if her cheeks hadn’t been already pink from alcohol, Shizuka may have seen her blush. Yet, this showed how great of a memory Amie had [i]when she wanted to remember[/i] something. Her mouth suddenly dropped when the rest of Shizuka’s words at The Shining Kettle made its course through her brain.

[quote] [color=a187be]”I’m also a teaching assistant for [i]Dr. Matsuoka[/i] in Biology. I’m glad you’re…”[/color][/quote]
Bringing her mouth back up and acting like she wasn’t just surprised with the thought, the idol stared deeply into Shizuka’s eyes and grabbed her soft hand (the one that wasn’t holding a helmet), [color=ed145b]“I’ve decided. We’re going to be the best of friends.”[/color] Earnestly, Amie wanted to know Shizuka and it just so happened that her future bestie might know someone related to Shou or perhaps Shou himself?

[color=a187be]“I-it’s okay,”[/color] Shizuka reassured Amity, besides, conversations at a cafe couldn’t really be expected to be private.  So as not to make it seem too one-sided, Shizuka added, [color=a187be]“I remember you ordered a caramel frappuccino with...well, I guess I don’t remember the rest, but I think it's admirable, to always know exactly what you want.”[/color]  When Amity grabbed her hand, Shizuka wanted to place her other hand over on top of Amity’s, but she was holding the helmet which she didn’t exactly want to drop, so she just gave Amity’s hand a gentle squeeze in acknowledgment.  Becoming best friends with a pop idol was not something Shizuka expected to happen tonight, heck, it wasn’t something she expected to happen in her entire life.  Shizuka took Amity’s offer of friendship seriously.  While anyone could say ‘let’s be best friends’ without really meaning it, something about Amity didn’t seem that shallow to Shizuka.  So far Amity didn’t seem to treat her friends or Shizuka as ‘playthings’, as ‘lesser’, or as ‘fans’ for their lack of fame and wealth.  While Amity seemed to revel in opulence, it wasn’t the insecure, in-your-face way that some rich flaunted themselves.  No, Shizuka could tell that this was all Amity knew and she couldn’t be faulted for it, that there was an innocence to Amity’s wealth.

[color=ed145b]"Thank you. I guess I don't like to keep people waiting."[/color] Amity's face softened. This woman was filled with kindness, truly beyond anything the idol knew a person was capable of. The idol could tell that Shizuka's heart was gold. The way she spoke, held herself... the idol wasn't dumb, this was probably the first time she's been in a situation like this. Amity would keep an eye on her tonight, at least until she herself lost her own inhibitions. 

It wasn’t until the two newcomers were finally let in and the door was closed that Kyle immediately whipped out a couple of shot glasses from his pocket.  Bottle of Bacardi 151 in hand he poured the shots and handed the bottle to Amity.

[color=LimeGreen]”Right, first rule of ‘The Shitty Night Club’ is to begin getting shit faced, and this rum will start off the night for you two, cause you [b]definitely[/b] need to get on our level.”[/color] He handed one shot to Kazuma, the second to Shizuka, briefly stopping and smiling at her as he gestured towards her helmet, [color=LimeGreen]”I like your helmet by the way, very cool.”[/color] He took a couple of steps back and pulled his wool hat down so it covered his right eye and in the best, deepest and gruffest Daniel Hater voice he could muster he said in English, [color=LimeGreen]”(IRON GEAR!)”[/color] Making sure to emphasize the line as much as possible, with his fist clenched towards his chest for dramatic effect.  He then began laughing, [color=LimeGreen]”Haha, sorry, bit of a geek-gasm there.”[/color] 

The idol blinked confusingly but her drunken smile never faded away. Anything video game related flew right over her head.

[color=a187be]“Th-thanks…”[/color] Shizuka replied, [color=a187be]“I won it in a raffle at the arcade, but unfortunately, I’m not that familiar with the game it's from.”[/color] She hoped Kyle wouldn’t judge her negatively for not having the same interests and being a ‘poser’ for wearing a helmet she knew nothing about.  

Relieved that she wasn't the only one who didn't understand the reference, Amity made a hidden fist pump (already taken a strong liking to Shizuka).

Looking at the shotglass, she figured it wouldn’t be a problem as it was only her first drink of the night, having missed (avoided) the chance to sample the strange blue concoction that had turned Alban into a completely different person.  However, Shizuka had only had experience with beer in small quantities, sake at formal events (so not a lot), and recently, a glass of wine.  She had no experience with hard liquor.  With a certain degree of abandon, Shizuka drained the cup only to have the liquid assault her mouth and throat.  Though she managed to drink it all down, she started coughing, her eyes watering from the intensity.  Shizuka doubled over, holding the empty shot glass to her stomach and taking long, ragged breaths.  She could still feel the fumes burning through her nose as she straightened up.  [color=a187be]“Th-this is...rum?”[/color]

With widen eyes, Amity went closer to Shizuka to offer support if she needed it, [i][color=ed145b]"I definitely need to keep an eye on her tonight..."[/color][/i]

[color=LimeGreen]”Ha-ha, no worries, you'll have to play the game sometime, the stealth tactics are pretty unique and fun, especially the original for its time.”[/color] Even drunk Kyle could tell a few things about games, but he was more concerned with her reaction to the shot of rum. He wanted to ask if she was going to be alright, but when she straightened herself out and asked about the rum he instead answered her question. [color=LimeGreen]”Well, it's 151 specifically, helluva lot stronger than normal rum.”[/color] He scratched his head, [color=LimeGreen]”You'll probably be feeling that really soon, but trust me when I say that if you can handle a shot of that, you'll be able to drink most everything we have upstairs.”[/color]

Kazu didn’t get much time to take in the interior of the mansion, since he was immediately given a shot glass the moment he walked through the door. He took the shot glass and looked at the alcoholic liquid, before shrugging and downing it as a shot should be. He was pretty alcohol tolerant, but his friend back in Japan had once recalled what Kazu had done during a party. Something about him sitting on the couch with a bunch of drunk girls around him, swooning apparently. He didn’t remember any of it, so he assumed his friend was making stuff up. Let’s hope it wasn’t true. The alcohol tasted quite good. But Sake would always be his number one go-to. Ice cold sake. Now he wanted some.

Kyle clapped his hands together, [color=LimeGreen]”Right, why don’t we take this upstairs?  We’ve got booze, food and games for all!”[/color]

[color=ed145b]”BUT! Before any of that”[/color] The idol exclaimed proudly.

[color=ed145b]“You two need to get into some comfy clothes!”[/color] Amity looked up at her best friend and asked,  [color=ed145b]”Kyle, can you bring Kazu~ to Liam’s room? And I’ll bring Zuka to Renee’s!”[/color]

Kyle nodded and gestured for the mute fellow to follow him, beginning the climb back up the stairs.

Kazu nodded back at the American, following him up the stairs. He wondered what they’d give him to wear. His clothes were pretty comfy, in his opinion anyway.[hr]

Renee’s wardrobe was elegant to sexy, entirely filled with designer brands, and conservative for the most part. Her assistant would always say, [color=662d91]“Clothes enhance a woman’s beauty, may it be simple or filled with intricate designs. Nevertheless, clothes will always be just pieces of fabric. Without a woman’s personality, our outfits are meaningless.”[/color] The clothing selection was quite a contrast to Amity’s closet (which was filled with frills, lace, and cuteness) but it made sense since Amie's style was far different than her assistant's. With little to no struggle, the idol found a [url=http://g02.a.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1bGptLXXXXXbjXpXXq6xXFXXXL/Free-Delivery-High-Quality-Silk-font-b-Pajama-b-font-Sets-New-2015-font-b-Satin.jpg]light beige, satin outfit[/url] that she thought would look great on Shizuka. As the idol assumed, simplicity looked gorgeous on her new friend. Though they were alone, Amity felt like it was too early to inquire about the sadness in her voice from earlier, so she decided to keep the talk to random chit chat hoping Shizuka was beginning to like her. 

Shizuka had willingly followed Amity to the wardrobe.  While the rum was strong, Shizuka wasn’t completely drunk yet, maybe a little buzzed.  But it did slightly remove her inhibitions, making her more compliant to Amity’s suggestions.  Shizuka was unable to maintain her usual, formal demeanor and spoke quite a bit more freely, and was more willing to impose on Amity’s graciousness instead of being the reticent and undemanding guest that propriety would have dictated.  Shizuka tried the nightwear Amity offered.  While she normally would have refused to change into someone else’s pajamas, or be seen in nightwear in front of two boys, she was buzzed, and the clothes were modest enough to fly under her current modesty radar.