Practice Your Steps (open)

[Deleted]

dance to the beat One, two, three, one two three four. Using the numbers to keep herself on beat she moved as she had seen the dance done. She had it down, her movements natural and on time. Her breathing was steady as she moved, her legs moving with certainty and her arms moving with grace. She finished the dance routine on the right foot, her arms above her as if she would spread wings right there in the practice room. She saw herself in the mirror in front of her, looking serene but her breathing coming in and out faster than usual. She relaxed the pose and moved to the corner of the room, where a table was set up. On top o fit was a gym bag and a bottle of water. She drank hungrily at the water bottle before she put it down with a content sigh. She had grown to love the feeling that came after a good practice. She hummed pleasantly to herself as she took out her cell and checked her phone for the time and messages. She didn't have a single text or missed call. It kind of bit at her how she was supposed to be an idol yet she was as popular on her cellular as she was before she was taken on as a dancer for AD. She put her cell back in her bag and sat against the mirror, her water bottle in her hand. Fujiko set the bottle on the polished wood floor and began to sing. It was a song she had sung many times before as it was her favorite and it was the song she sang that won her the audition. "Dareka ga ikiteru ichibyou-zutsu Kotoba ni dekita naraba Bokura wa ikiteku ki ga suru no sa Kotoba wo baramaku you ni Dareka ga ikiteru ichibyou-zutsu Kotoba ni dekita naraba Bokura wa ikiteku ki ga suru no sa Kotoba wo baramaku you ni hora~" She held out the last note before let it fade from the air as if a whisper on the wind. Fujiko had started singing that phrase after practice every week. She didn't really think anyone could hear, not that she would be embarrassed if someone did, she had grown used to her voice getting attention. Especially as she has been gaining on her standing. She still had a ways to go but she was doing it. Her eyes fluttered, her purple bangs brushing her forehead as she leaned her head against the mirror, a smile on her lips as she began to drift into a nap. That wasn't so routine.

► OPEN

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF BTN AND GS

[Yuki Minase]

Ready to Rock So, it turned out that they couldn't use the theatre for practice all the time. Due to its heavy use, they had to make sure that it had regular maintenance otherwise they risked things going wrong. Management turned out to be quite safety focused... or they were simply concerned about what would happen if something went wrong in a performance or the media uncovered unsafe working conditions. It was hard to tell just how concerned they were at times. As a result, GEM247 members had to get the practice done at one of the several dance studios around Tokyo. Despite the schedule disruption, they expected the same results. Even though they had to get up even earlier. By the time group practice was finished, Yuki was exhausted. It felt like they'd been worked harder since the studio was a more public venue than the theatre. They were also in full uniform, of course - there was no half-arsing practice. The girl ended up slipping away from the rest of the group at lunchtime so that she could get in some gaming. And eat some lunch - asides from her handheld, she had a lunchbox with her. Sure, she was quite social, but she also needed some time on her own, especially after that gruelling practice session. And playing games was more relaxing than talking with all the other girls, and more active than taking a nap. Still, there was a matter of finding somewhere away from everyone. It didn't take long - it looked like there was a small dance hall that wasn't in use. She opened the door quickly and smoothly, and entered swiftly and quietly. Yuki closed the door behind her and looked around. "Ah..." It appeared she'd been mistaken when she'd thought this room was empty. There was a purple haired girl over by the mirror, just resting her head there. Well... maybe she was done here? And if she wasn't, maybe she wouldn't mind if she stayed? She didn't really want to look around for another room. "Is this taken? I thought it was empty, and was going to eat lunch and play some game in here..." OK, that sounded worse out loud than in her head.

► PS twins!

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF BTN AND GS

[Deleted]

dance to the beat Fujiko was still sound asleep when someone entered the room. Her breath was even and her face was peaceful. Whatever she was dreaming about was keeping her pleasantly in it's grasp. The sound of the closing door made her reluctantly open her eyes, though anyone could tell that she had just been sleeping from the dazed expression on her face. Fujiko blinked several times and rubbed the sleep from her eyes as the other girls words registered for her half-asleep brain. "I finished a little bit ago, feel free..." She didn't quite register that the girl wanted to eat and play games there, just that she had been asked if this room was taken and yes it was but she wasn't a mean person when she first woke up. She was the kind to kindly agree with whatever you said so that she could turn back over and fall back asleep in peace. This usually worked but it felt odd to go back to sleep with someone else there. So she decided that she would get her lunch and eat it. "I can go ahead and eat something too." Her eyes showed she was still half-asleep as she stood up, one hand on the wall to support herself as she did so. Her legs felt slightly asleep from the way she had been sitting but she found her way to her bag with her bento inside. She took it out before she sat back down and waved the stranger over. "You can sit over here if you want." She managed a small smile as she said this. Not even realizing that she had yet to introduce herself or ask for this girls name but when she looked closely, Fujiko realized that she had seen this girl before. She tried hard to place the face and that gave her something to focus on so she could wake up fully.

► YUKI

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF BTN AND GS

[Yuki Minase]

Ready to Rock "Oh, sorry to wake you..." It looked like she'd been sleeping after all from her reaction to her voice. If it had been her she'd probably be grumpy about having her rest disrupted... well, initially at least. Sleep time was wasted time, after all, and she only slept when she had to. Even if it felt nice sometimes... Although, it looked like she'd just invited herself to have lunch with her. That wasn't what she'd intended at all, and she certainly couldn't play games afterward if she was with this girl. Still... it might be nice to get to know her, and it was a much more private setting. She loved GEM247, certainly, and got along quite well with the girls there, but it's just that she was always around them. It could get stifling sometimes. So Yuki smiled at the offer and walked over to join the purple haired girl. "Sure, let's eat together." She sat down on her knees in front of her, and instantly wished that the dance floor was softer. The girl opened up her lunchbox, revealing an assortment of foods that were separated for the most part. She'd made it herself the night before, so she could sleep in a little later. However, she'd forgotten something important, and laughed. "I should probably introduce myself, shouldn't I? I'm Minase Yuki. Thanks for letting me eat here with you!" The girl grinned, and looked at the girl she was with. "Hmm... sorry if this is a stupid question, but have we met before?" Up close, she had a sense that she recognised her from somewhere, but she couldn't work out where. She didn't think she was a fan, though... they had a different look to them.

► PS twins!

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF BTN AND GS

[Deleted]

dance to the beat Fujiko felt the sleepiness ebb as the girl accepted her offer and sat down in front of her, her legs under her. Fujiko instantly thought that she should sit the same but the hard dance floor wasn't exactly the best place for that. "Wait one moment, I think they have mats around here." Fujiko stood without touching the glass wall behind her and went to a corner closet. She opened it and as expected, there were mats folded neatly into the closet. The young idol grinned and grabbed two of them before closing the door with her foot.  "Yep~ They keep mats!" She put down the mats and laid out one for her and one for the other girl. With that done, she sat down on her mat, her legs under her and put her bento in front of her. Her mother had packed this one for her, so she knew what to expect. Inside, there was a neatly organized near buffet of food. Her bento had two trays, one filled with rice and the other filled with rolled omelettes, octopus shaped hot dogs, and rabbit shaped apple wedges. Fujiko turned a bright shade of red. It was embarrassing to look at how over packed her lunch was when she was alone but to have another there to witness it always made it a bit worse. "My mother gets a bit over zealous..." She felt like she had to explain it and she smiled weakly when she did so. She looked down out of embarrassment and sent her thanks for the food before she started eating at the rice. She never could eat all of the things in her bento so she usually at a bit as a snack before she went home. It did help keep her from going out too much for sweets but it did get to her some times. If she had the chance to sneak a treat, she tended to. Luckily, being a dancer meant she was able to keep her figure without much effort. When the other girl introduced herself the name clicked right away with Fujiko. The girl in front of her was a member of GEM247. Fujiko had seen her in passing a hand full of times. So when the other idol asked if they knew each other Fujiko shrugged slightly. "My name is Tegumi Fujiko. And I think we have seen each other before but we've never actually talked." She smiled at the other girl before taking another bite of her rice.

► YUKI

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF BTN AND GS

[Yuki Minase]

Ready to Rock Yuki jumped a little at the girl's sudden statement, and stood back up, watching as she gathered some mats for them to sit on. How thoughtful! She smiled as they were brought out for them, and took her place on the mat offered, lunch out in front."Ahh, much better on my knees, good thinking!" Yuki said, grateful for the improved seating. She had a look at the other girl's lunch, impressed with the contents. It was a hand crafted work of culinary art! Well, if one considered little octopus sausages such. "Don't be embarrassed! It's great that you've got a mother who wants to show you her love through these." Chopsticks out, she snatched one of the mini hot dogs, as if to demonstrate visually. She meant it, too - Yuki didn't have the luxury of having a loving mother. Suddenly she remembered that she wasn't with someone she knew, and put it back, blushing slightly. "Err, sorry, I'm not sure if you want to share or not." Her own lunch box was decent, with rice, obviously, and some leftover teriyaki-style trout from last night, but it didn't have the style of the other girl. Besides, you shouldn't take food without asking... well, from strangers, at least. Friends were fair game! As she shovelled in some of her own rice, enjoying the taste of the sauce that had ended up seeping in a bit, her acquaintance introduced herself. It took a moment for it to click. "Tegumi... Tegu... oh! Yes! You're with... Afternoon Delight, right?" She pointed her chopsticks at her, certain that she wasn't mistaken. Yuki may not keep up with the affairs of idol groups as much as some of her peers, but she wasn't totally ignorant, especially when prompted. She gave a bit of a wicked grin. "Hehe, technically we're supposed to be rivals, aren't we?" There was humour in her voice, though - there was absolutely no need for antagonism.

► Sorry for the delay!

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF BTN AND GS

[Deleted]

dance to the beat The purple haired teen brightened to see that Yuki appreciated the mat. Personally, Fujiko enjoyed laying with her legs out in front of her, simply because her legs usually ached after a practice session but due to present company, she found herself sitting with her legs under her. And her face flushed slightly at the compliment. "Yes, I'm very lucky to have her. I can't cook at all." She took another bite after saying this. A helpless but happy look on her face. It caught her off guard when the other idol snatched a sausage from her bento and for a moment she didn't quite understand why she had, but then Yuki seemed to pick up on it too and she placed it back. Fujiko shook her head, a smile on her face. "There's no way I can eat it all so that's fine. My mom says I need to eat more but she always seems to put too much." When her name seemed to click, Fujiko snapped her fingers and winked. "That's the one!" At the comment of rivals Fujiko got a thoughtful expression. "Well I guess we are..." Then she looked back at Yuki and returned her wicked grin. "But personally I think that's all the more reason for us to be friends. Who better to understand you than a rival?" With that said she took another sausage from her bento and popped it into her mouth and letting out a happy sigh after swallowing. "She's so mean for making these so good..."

► YUKI

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF BTN AND GS

[Yuki Minase]

Ready to Rock Yuki was a little surprised to hear that Fujiko couldn't cook. "Really? My grandmother taught me. She said that it was 'important for all girls to know how to cook'." She put on a deep, strict voice, impersonating the older lady quite well, not that her new friend knew what she sounded like. Despite the mocking, though, she was grateful for what she knew because of her. The connotations might not be the best, but if you think about it a little differently, it's about taking care of yourself, and nobody's going to say that that's not vital knowledge. She smiled when the girl offered her some of her own food. "You sure?" Yuki asked with a smile as she already snapped up the same sausage she had before. It was in her mouth in a flash. "You can't take it back now! Oh, feel free to have some of mine as well. It's just leftovers I made for dinner the night before, but it's still tasty."  However, the best thing was to happen when Fujiko instantly caught on to what she was saying. "I know, right?" Yuki ate some rice and continued talking, grains still sticking to places in her mouth. "Not enough people understand the value of friendship amongst rivals. Working against each other in the spirit of competition and self-improvement, and then laughing about it as you walk into the sunset!" A fleck of rice ended up on her chin as she gestured wildly with her chopsticks, clearly excited by this arrangement. "Heh, or at least that's how I view it." Settling down after her theatrics, Yuki wiped off the rice and ate a piece of fish from her lunchbox. "Anyway, are you with the rest of your group today? I don't think I saw them around..." She started up some idol conversation - pun intended - curious to know if she was here alone or with others. Yuki didn't actually know all that much about Afternoon Delight's practice regimen, so maybe they did things differently.

► Frienemies!

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF BTN AND GS