There was but one sanctuary in this dark, foreboding dorm. One place that one could be certain not to be interrupted. Hotaru stood silhouetted on the rooftop as he lit up a cigarette, away from the vigilant eyes of the dorm leader and the... other one. He had taken to spending long periods up here, sometimes to do his homework or play games, or just to avoid unwanted contact. He gave a cynical sigh at his own thoughts; it wasn't as though he was an anti-social person, but... Well, at least no-one ever bothered him here. It was his place; quiet, relaxed and by now covered in stubbed-out cigarettes. [i]... I should really invest in a bin.[/i] That or just bite the bullet and go downstairs every so often... He stayed for an hour anyway, psyching himself up for it, before heading in. His nerves got the better of him though and he ducked into his room halfway to spend the next ten minutes beating himself up for his cowardice. There was one woman, [i]one woman[/I] in this dorm and he still broke out in shivers when she was in the room. He managed at school through a mix of rapid escapes and the sympathetic attitude of his male classmates, but here... She was like a fucking panther, stalking around in silence, appearing when he least expected it; Hotaru's smoking budget had doubled from the stress.

Still, he couldn't be anti-social forever. The other guys in the dorm were alright, though he hadn't had much chance to talk to them; Kirijo was a typical rich boy, aloof and possessed of a certain irritating charm and Takahiro was a bastard, but a man's bastard. As for Tsukino, he wasn't sure; every time Hotaru had stuck up a conversation, that woman had appeared... Perhaps it was living a year in an all-male household, but now that he was once again living with a female in the house, Hotaru's issues with the fairer sex were verging on full-blown gynophobia. He shook his head to clear it and focus on the here and now; he had decided to talk to people, so he had better damn well do it. He would march right down them bloody stairs and greet everyone in a firm, outgoing tone and by God, he would act the man he knew he was.

. . . He crept down one step at a time, hanging onto the bannister like a frightened child; it was pretty pathetic, but in his mind's eye, Hotaru was oozing confidence. Wandering into the common room, his gaze darted about to find the others. To his alternating relief and horror, he spotted the three of them on the sofas, chatting way calmly. He tried not a feel a twinge of envy over how easily the guys could speak to women, not for the first time worrying about his own future... After a moment's introspection, he squared his shoulders and headed round to the bar area, giving the others a silent wave as he passed. He fixed himself a (sadly non-alcoholic) drink and, after several deep breaths, headed back to where the others were. Taking a seat as far away as humanly possible from the woman- [i]I should really start using her name...[/i] - from Unemi, Hotaru silently sipped at his drink, doing his damnest to look at ease.