[OPEN] Away with Boredom

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width: 450px; padding: 10px;][bg=121212][style=font-family: arial narrow; color: #00BBFF; font-weight: bold; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 16px; padding-left: 5px; border-left: 320px solid #00BBFF;]THIS IS A GAME.[/style] [style=text-align: left; color: #e4e4e4; font-size: 10px; letter-spacing: 3px; font-family: arial;]DO NOT TRUST YOUR EARS. WHAT YOU HEAR ARE LIES.[/style] [style=margin-top: 5px; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; color: #e4e4e4; background-color: #212121; padding: 5px; border: 1px solid #222222;] [style=zoom: 1; filter: alpha(opacity=70); opacity: 0.7; margin-right: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 10px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/ZoExa.png); float: left;] [/style] It was sad to know how an elegant and beautiful lady such as her were to be kicked out from her own home just because she have been cooped up inside for the longest time without trying to interact with anyone within her vicinity, spending the rest of her days in front of the monitor or underneath the heater mat while playing video games. It was making the embodiment of Japan worried especially since she even went as far as locking herself in her own room and not come out unless she needs to eat or do her business in her bathroom. So it was not a surprise (anymore; this has become a routine lately) for the people to finally see the princess-esqed prefecture sulking as she headed towards the arcade, probably checking if there's a new game she could play for hours, if not replay the old ones she have already finished in which some she managed to beat the high score with her own. "Ah, did Nihon-san told you to go out again, oujo-san?" "He deliberately kicked me out of my own home and told me to spend some time outside." The clerk could only sweatdrop as the raven-haired female handed her money to him before, with shoulders slumped, headed towards to one of the arcade games in the place. Sure, Okinawa's in her own element, but the fact that she was literally 'kicked out' by Kiku Honda's boss and told that she can't come back until sunset means that she'll probably die by around lunch time if she couldn't crawl herself back to her room and to her safe haven which is her room. Figuratively speaking, of course. They knew that Hourai is pretty much sturdier than that. Then again, Kiku's boss murmured to himself, he better make sure she really didn't die out in the open just because she was exposed to air. [style=color: #00BBFF; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: #121212; padding: 2px;]TAGGING: OPEN | TIMELINE: Present| NOTES: I figured Hourai needed to go outside and play some video games and get some fresh air. Light-hearted and comedy.[/style][/style]

[style=font-size: 10px; font-family: georiga; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 3px;]TEMPLATE BY SAMARECARM OF OTE[/style]

IF YOU WANNA FLY LIKE PAPER
[ g e t h i g h l i k e p l a n e s ]

Mei’s head hurt. It wasn’t an uncommon thing lately; especially because she spent much of her time outside wandering about, taking pictures of her people as well as herself and her friends. (Although, her favorite Vietnamese never did pay attention as she tried to snap the photos, but that would come back and bite her later.) Her camera was currently hanging around her neck as she walked around, looking at everything with her hands tucked neatly into her sleeves. She had made it her mission to go out and visit her friends today. And, while she really didn’t want to visit South Korea, she had no problem visiting Japan and his residents. She hadn’t been there in what felt like forever, and the corners of her mouth twitched up every time she heard some Japanese. Oh, she could speak the language. It was something that the “young” country was sure she wasn’t ever going to forget, but she preferred to keep it in her own tongue.

She had been on the verge of wondering whether or not she should have called Japan to make sure that it was okay for her to visit when she spotted a familiar hair color. Throwing her head back only enough to see what the store was, Mei let a laugh escape her lips. Ignoring the slightly confused looks that was thrown in her direction, she changed the direction of her steps in order to come closer to the girl who, quite literally, looked as if she had gotten kicked out of her house or something. “Nín hǎo,” She greeted the clerk standing near the front with a smile on her face. It was at moments like those that she was glad she always changed her currency whenever she went off to visit a different country. (After several misunderstandings in Vietnam, she had just done it to avoid all the drama.) She paid for her way in without a problem, and didn’t even care that she probably wouldn’t be as active in playing the video games as others would have made her seem.

“Nín hǎo, Hourai.” She greeted, happily standing behind the girl. In an instant, her hands were outside of her sleeves and the camera was up by her eye. She snapped a picture without much difficulty before letting her camera fall, not caring that it smacked against her chest with a, “thump.” It was something that she was used to – like running away whenever Linh would realize that Mei had snapped a picture of her. Besides, it was rare that she got to see the girl outside of her room. Usually, Kiku had to make her come out and say hi, and that wouldn’t last long before she crawled back into her room again. “Did Rìběn kick you out of your home?” She teased, laughing because she didn’t believe that it would be that serious. Heck, when she had been under Japan, the man had to fight to teach the rebellious child some manners. (Because, much as it was now, she was always outside causing problems and getting on people’s nerves.)"

[ i f y o u c a t c h m e a t t h e b o r d e r ]

[/size]
GOT MY VISAS AND MY NAMES

words:: 518
tags:: Hourai/Mei
outfit:: here
credit:: xreebear
@ caution two point oh
notes:: short for me...but still good, i hope(:[/center]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width: 450px; padding: 10px;][bg=121212][style=font-family: arial narrow; color: #00BBFF; font-weight: bold; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 16px; padding-left: 5px; border-left: 320px solid #00BBFF;]THIS IS A GAME.[/style] [style=text-align: left; color: #e4e4e4; font-size: 10px; letter-spacing: 3px; font-family: arial;]DO NOT TRUST YOUR EARS. WHAT YOU HEAR ARE LIES.[/style] [style=margin-top: 5px; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; color: #e4e4e4; background-color: #212121; padding: 5px; border: 1px solid #222222;] [style=zoom: 1; filter: alpha(opacity=70); opacity: 0.7; margin-right: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 10px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/ZoExa.png); float: left;] [/style] To pass the boredom, the raven-haired Prefecture was, as much, used her wonderful time trying to beat her own, high score as she was so focused with defeating the boss of a side-scroller shooting game, unaware of the presence behind her. She was so close as to defeat the boss- this close- when she heard her name and, as soon as she turned around to acknowledge the person (Okinawa was never the one who ignores anyone), immediately winced while yelp in the usual Okinawan dialect from the flash, unaware of the sudden photo bomb. She only blinked back to remove the 'spots' on her eyes before the prefecture focused her sight to the only nation she know who would do such a thing. "Akisamiyoo~" She blinked, realizing something before Okinawa rubbed her eyes once more and looked at the brunette female before her. Since she's not within the walls of Okinawa, she assumed it's best to speak in a normal dialect instead of speaking in a Okinawan one like a while ago. "Konnichiwa, Mei-san." Hourai greeted with a bow. "Hai, he kicked me out again." She doesn't need to explain further, seeing that Mei ought to know anything about her in the first place, considering how the prefecture is near Taiwan and... well, as anything goes, Taiwan and Okinawa get to hang out from time to time, if ever the latter decided to come out from hiding her room every once in a while. "It's a surprise to see you here, Mei-san," Okinawa smiled, finally turning around from her seat in front of the arcade and facing the brunette nation. "How have you been? I assure you are doing well, hai?" Being a prefecture living near another country seem to have its perks and the fact that she is aware of Taiwan's 'independence' from China even though the elder nation doesn't seem too happy about the thought. If anything, Okinawa knew the feeling since Ryukyu Island used to be under China before it was taken over by Japan. For the female prefecture, she find it confusing being back and forth, but right now she wasn't thinking too much about it considering her almost-laid back nature she's having as of late. Still doesn't change the fact that Kiku kicked her out told her to go out and get some fresh air, though. [style=color: #00BBFF; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: #121212; padding: 2px;]TAGGING: OPEN | TIMELINE: Present| NOTES: I say, poor Okinawa, but imagining her in a Okinawan dialect made me laugh.[/style][/style]

[style=font-size: 10px; font-family: georiga; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 3px;]TEMPLATE BY SAMARECARM OF OTE[/style]

IF YOU WANNA FLY LIKE PAPER
[ g e t h i g h l i k e p l a n e s ]

Oh, how tempted the young nation was to snap yet another picture of the girl, especially considering that she had now turned around to face her. In her own opinion, Mei had gotten quite good at surprising those that didn’t expect her. It was something that she had perfected while living under Yao – though, she winced internally at the thought – and merely perfected it as she came out into her own. Regardless, she was glad for the polite nature in with Okinawa had maintained, particularly around her. She understood that a lot of the other Asian nations – and cities, and prefectures and others of the such – disliked her because of her fight with China, but she also understood that a great deal of them identified with her, too. Still, it had been a lot of lost friends on her behalf, and so she was glad for any company that she got; even if it was sitting, or standing, quietly by someone’s side as they played an insane amount of video games and got an even crazier amount of hours logged.

“I was just teasing,” she laughed, shaking her head at the antics of her past caretaker. “I didn’t…xiāngxìn, you know? I didn’t think he had it in him.” But, then again, this was Kiku she was talking about. And, it was Hourai, too. Mei wanted to assure the girl that, if she complained enough, he would probably let up, but she wasn’t entirely sure about that. Sure, Mei had complained often enough, but that never gave her a break. She would only have to sit inside longer, and then she really would get bored. It was odd to see the difference between the two neighbors, but she was different from Lihn, too, and the two of them got along just fine. Taiwan just wanted to chalk it up to her being the glue that held everyone together. She was sure that that was why she maintained the friendships that she did. “Well, I think it’s good that you’re here. Otherwise, Xǐjiǔ would have had to make you come out to say hello to me.”

After, of course, Mei would have insisted for him not to bother her to do that. She was sure that, if she had given herself the opportunity to, she could always find her way into Hourai’s room to greet her before making Kiku take her around to see anything new he had been developing. “Shì,” she acknowledged, nodding her head to and fro. “I’ve been doing good. I think not having to say hello to a new Zǒngtǒng, and re-introduce myself really helps me.” She ducked her head some, slightly embarrassed. It was true that she was still among the really new countries. She was still having trouble competing with some of the bigger ones, and she didn’t have a lot of friends due to her fights with China, but she felt better and better every day, so she was trying not to let it get her too down. “And you? How’re you doing?”

[ i f y o u c a t c h m e a t t h e b o r d e r ]

[/size]
GOT MY VISAS AND MY NAMES

words:: 508
tags:: Hourai/Mei
outfit:: here
credit:: xreebear
@ caution two point oh
notes:: welp. off to bed for me.[/center]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width: 450px; padding: 10px;][bg=121212][style=font-family: arial narrow; color: #00BBFF; font-weight: bold; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 16px; padding-left: 5px; border-left: 320px solid #00BBFF;]THIS IS A GAME.[/style] [style=text-align: left; color: #e4e4e4; font-size: 10px; letter-spacing: 3px; font-family: arial;]DO NOT TRUST YOUR EARS. WHAT YOU HEAR ARE LIES.[/style] [style=margin-top: 5px; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; color: #e4e4e4; background-color: #212121; padding: 5px; border: 1px solid #222222;] [style=zoom: 1; filter: alpha(opacity=70); opacity: 0.7; margin-right: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 10px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/ZoExa.png); float: left;] [/style] "It happens." We was polite about it, not entirely harboring anything ill about how they did it to her, but Okinawa was starting to see a pattern in there. If there are no imports and she doesn't have any papers to fill up (it was only few, and most of those are merely outside trade or regarding national rules from the Prime Minister of Japan) so she spends most of the time holed up inside her home, to her room, and passing the day playing video games or talking to someone over the net. And then Japan, their boss, or any of Japan's underlings and siblings would visit to check on her, and if she didn't come out after a long period of time, they decide that she either; (1) She, for some reason, died from lack of eating, sleeping and fresh air (but, surely, that won't happen anytime soon), (2) She was so engrossed with the video game that she needed to finish that she locked the doors to her room, shut the shutters and packed in LOTS of food, or (3) pretty much whatever they can think off under the sun (since she's starting to have other reasons aside 1 and 2). And, when they have enough, she usually break the door open and either plead to her, give her something to do like paperwork or errand-running, or literally dragging her out of her room, banned her from entering her house for the whole day (or other means) and hope that they don't see her somewhere in the streets, begging for a game console. Unfortunately, this has becoming a routine that the other Prefectures find their somewhat-older Prefecture eccentric beyond reason. Not that they're complaining, but it's a bit difficult on their part, as well. "I think he did that to me a few times," Okinawa spoke in a softer, normal tone, covering her lower mouth with the sleeves of her gown-like attire like she always does. "I'm not too sure, my memory's a bit foggy as of late." Though, it may be true, the prefecture could never blame it on Video games and lack of exercise for the deteriorating of memory; it was the fact that the old culture of Japan is slowly dying and she is one of the few who still maintains the old-style culture as well as their unique ones. Perhaps she was getting old, but not too old, and she might need to 're-invent' herself. Still, she wasn't too keen with immediate change, so she'll let that one up to pass for a little more. "Ah, don't worry," Hourai added, using her other arm to give a wave of reassurance to the female nation. "I comply most of the time to the visitors, I'm just stubborn when it's only our boss or Kiku-niisama." That explains everything. A slow, knowing nod came from the raven-haired prefecture, part of her mind thankful that she doesn't have to do something like introducing as a country. Being a Prefecture has its perks, like having the Country where one belongs to do the introduction and the only thing they need to do is greet them and either expect to see them only when they are visiting the specific prefecture or not see them at all. It wasn't that bad, but it was also a bit un-entertaining for most. Still, for Taiwan to finally become a nation of her own, it was a feat that amazes her so. She also heard about Hong Kong and she, too, was grateful for him too, but Hourai wasn't exactly harboring any ill feelings to Yao so she could sympathize what he's been going through. "I am sure he is fine as well," She said with a smile. "And I am sure you'll do your very best to be a nation." She paused a bit, thinking, before the prefecture added. "Since we're just right next door, I'm suppose you can visit me, though since you are now a nation, you might have to use the door next time." It was a joke; the last time, Hourai made sure the door was tightly sealed but forgot about the window and almost everyone who tried to visit her (even Kiku) literally entered the window and told her that she was going a little bit too far. Another blink of mild surprise as Hourai tilted her head a bit, curious about her inquiry. "Oh, I am fine...." She said with a pause. "Most of the time." Another pause. "I think I broke another door the other day while I try to grab it for dear life when boss tried to drag me out the other day," Hourai spoke in a musing manner, as if she was merely talking about how the weather is faring. It was not unusual for people to either misunderstood the prefecture or find her funny (even when she's not joking), considering how her dialect and form of language is different from most of her brethren, but surely Taiwan knows her about it more than anyone else. Or, she would have probably eaten a shoe, but that's another story for another time. [style=color: #00BBFF; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: #121212; padding: 2px;]TAGGING: OPEN | TIMELINE: Present| NOTES: Fun fact: Hourai DID ate a shoe one time. It was an experiment. Don't ask.[/style][/style]

[style=font-size: 10px; font-family: georiga; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 3px;]TEMPLATE BY SAMARECARM OF OTE[/style]

IF YOU WANNA FLY LIKE PAPER
[ g e t h i g h l i k e p l a n e s ]

It didn’t happen to her. Mei had too much on her hands. She was trying to soothe the relations between her and Kiku even more, especially since Ma Ying-jeou wasn’t doing so good lately. She could only wish that she had a lot of free time to do this and that. And, even when she did have some, she always got up to go and do other things that probably had something to do with helping the state of her country. Like, even though she really, really wanted to visit Hourai and Kiku because she wanted to, there was no doubt in her mind that, at some point, business would be brought into the occasion. It was a saddening thought, but that was okay because Mei was determined to put it off until the last possible second. She had been so stressed lately. There had been the whole ‘20 year anniversary of the1992 Consensus’ that had really taken up her thought process and had been one of the main factors of even visiting Hourai. Her neighbor always managed to make her feel better (it was probably her own eccentric habits that did it.)

Mei’s eyes widened slightly and she let her mouth drop slightly. “Wow. I didn’t think Kiku actually had it in him.” She snorted, extremely unladylike. She glanced around quickly, making sure that no one but Hourai had heard her before laughing. “I know what you mean. If I think back to ten years ago, none of this stuff was really around and so I forget where I am and what I’m doing.” Like, her camera. Her handy, trusty camera that she carried around with her everywhere. It would probably get her in trouble someday, but she liked to have it in case something extremely memorable happened. Even though she wouldn’t admit it, she kept a diary. She wrote in it some – of course she would, otherwise it wouldn’t really be a diary – but a whole bunch of it were pictures. She had some of Hourai, Kiku, and Linh, even some of Yao even though she didn’t like to take much of those because they made her sad. “You say that, and I still had to give money to Xǐjiǔ for breaking your window.” She winced some, but it was actually a fond memory. She had taken a picture of the incident to help her remember in case she ever forgot.

Her face flushed pink as she ducked her head down, focusing on the ground and she twiddled with her sleeves. “Ah, well… Gǎnxiè nín.” She smiled, gratefully. She had her own doubts some days about how she was doing, and a lot of the time it seemed like Yao was going to get his wish, but it was moments like those that kept her going. After all, Xiānshēng Alfred and Xǐjiǔ were still supporting her, so she had the encouragement to keep going with her life. Comments like these, especially coming from a slight recluse like Hourai, made her feel better, too. “Nah. I like sneaking in and, occasionally, surprising everyone with my presence. It makes it easier to take pictures.”

It was Mei’s firm belief that a target that didn’t know that they were about to be photo bombed made for an excellent target. Sometimes, she felt bad about some of the pictures that she took. They were very embarrassing and a lot of people begged her not to do it, but they were all taken in the spirit of good fun. She worried about whether or not those people would begin to dislike her for her (begrudgingly annoying) habit, but she had been assured time and time again that she was just overlooking in the situation. The Taiwanese nation had to take their word for it, especially because she did have that tendency to overthink any given situation. “Maybe you should take that as a sign to go outside more?” It was kind of like her teenagers, actually. Her teens gave some of the best test grades around the world, but they were also extremely stressed and didn’t have much of a life. “Take a walk around your neighborhood, that way they can’t say you never leave~”

[ i f y o u c a t c h m e a t t h e b o r d e r ]

[/size]
GOT MY VISAS AND MY NAMES

words:: 702
tags:: Hourai/Mei
outfit:: here
credit:: xreebear
@ caution two point oh
notes:: lolz. i suck at posting quickly. XD.[/center]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width: 450px; padding: 10px;][bg=121212][style=font-family: arial narrow; color: #00BBFF; font-weight: bold; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 16px; padding-left: 5px; border-left: 320px solid #00BBFF;]THIS IS A GAME.[/style] [style=text-align: left; color: #e4e4e4; font-size: 10px; letter-spacing: 3px; font-family: arial;]DO NOT TRUST YOUR EARS. WHAT YOU HEAR ARE LIES.[/style] [style=margin-top: 5px; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; color: #e4e4e4; background-color: #212121; padding: 5px; border: 1px solid #222222;] [style=zoom: 1; filter: alpha(opacity=70); opacity: 0.7; margin-right: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 10px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/ZoExa.png); float: left;] [/style] She watched her, half with interest and half with concern. Being part of Japan's prefectures, it was no surprise that since she was the closest with Taiwan she knows her more than everyone else. As a solitary land not fit to be called a country once upon a time, she was one of the source of dispute between China and Japan, and perhaps she would have known any better about it. Maybe Ryukyu Island was meant to be with someone else, but then Japan took her in so it was probably that. Then again, she doesn't seem to mind China once in a while and his siblings are quite nice so she wasn't complaining much. Oh, where are the days that she used to be so lively and happy? She missed it terribly, but Okinawa never said she'll give up on her current lifestyle; she have gotten used to it that it became her second nature. Hence the reason why she understand about Mei's scarce sightings in her front yard (or her room, for one). Okinawa knew they are busy- being a nation is hard work, overall- so she respects that. "He can be surprising at times," Hourai pointed out, waving her sleeve-covered hand of hers. "He's a very patient man, but I don't think he has the same patience when it comes to the rest of us prefectures." She cleared out. "It's alright, I should comply anyway since I gave him a hard time." Mei should have seen it; Hourai was literally begging on her knees and crying like a child when she was pulled out after her month-long hibernation inside the room with nothing more than some bag of chips, packs of soda cans and a portable potty (straight from Tokyo!) to sustain her and it was a pretty good sight to see Japan taking the initiative (for once) and kicked the door open only to see one of his oldest prefecture hunched with the futon on her back, playing Video games in the dark. Really, it was fond memories altogether. Not really; It was horrifying, on the contrary. "Back then, I used to like the outdoors," Hourai mused. "Before I took an arrow in the knee." Paused. "I took that last statement from this internet meme I found. The things kids these day do over the net." She pondered, mildly entertained by the fact that she was itching to use that 'arrow in the knee' meme she found over the net sometime ago. "But, in all seriousness, it would have been better if I was in my former state." Hourai said, referring to the time after the WWII and before the Vietnam war; if the Americans left Okinawa alone instead of using her as a strategic base for the Vietnam War, she would have still had her shut-in status cured and she would have still be a bit saner in the head (as what everyone sometimes say since they think she went a bit loopy somewhere along the line, dialect and all). She's not complaining, though. "You did broke it. With a rock, last I recall?" Still, Hourai was surprised to herself that she wasn't mad about it. It was only a window, anyway (but she'll have to find a way to block it so no one can enter there and disturb her sacred time in front of the TV). "I do appreciate if people would use doors instead of windows," Unfortunately, Okinawa forgot the little detail that she usually lock the doors hence their option of using the window. Living near Taiwan has its perks; understanding the basic of her language is one of them and Okinawa couldn't help but smile at her for that. "But, please, I insist. A door can't fulfill its duties if you keep using other means to enter, hai?" She said, waving one hand. Well, the game she was playing is forgotten, but Taiwan's here so might as well entertain her and do some more playing sometime soon, might even keep her busy while she's at it. "I... was thinking about it." The raven-haired prefecture paused, pondered about it, and shook her head. "Nope. Will be missing too many soap operas." The female stated in a blank tone; she seems adamant with her decision of staying at home instead of going outside and doing some actual work. "I'm still not finished with that drama show from Korea, if you must know, and I have you know that I am a devoted fan of that show!" It was a recent show she managed to watch and, Okinawa have to say, she was starting to get hooked on it. "The neighborhood's the same, so I don't think there's something to walk around and about." She added with a mild hum. "How about this? Since you're here, why don't we go somewhere for a while, like watch a movie or eat outside or something? Maybe if we do that together, I might fill my quota that I 'went outside' and Kiku-niisama won't have to ban me from my game consoles? What do you say?" That was a bit of a compromise you're asking there, Hourai. [style=color: #00BBFF; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: #121212; padding: 2px;]TAGGING: OPEN | TIMELINE: Present| NOTES: It was evident that either Hourai plays Skyrim or spends way too much time in her PC.[/style][/style]

[style=font-size: 10px; font-family: georiga; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 3px;]TEMPLATE BY SAMARECARM OF OTE[/style]

IF YOU WANNA FLY LIKE PAPER
[ g e t h i g h l i k e p l a n e s ]

Mei loved Hourai. Even though she understood that the girl was a recluse, she got along with her very well. It was funny because the prefecture and the country had conflicting personalities. She was the type of girl that smiled even though she felt like crying. She was easily influenced, sure, and she was very emotional. She worried about the smallest things, and tried not to make anyone too mad. Sure, sometimes, her emotions got the best of her and she snapped. Her words were often vicious and cutting, but they ended up hurting her more than they helped her feel better. She always stopped herself from talking too loudly whenever her old big brother was around, even though she wanted nothing more than for him to know the pain and emotional trauma he had put her through. She never asked for much, not really. Personally, she didn’t even mind leaving the “Republic of China” title if it meant that she would be able to have her relationship with her brother back.

But, it wasn’t going to happen. It didn’t matter how many times she would try to appeal to him. He wouldn’t grant her that, and she wasn’t about to let him drive her back into an awful life. The socialist life had never been one that she had ever wanted. Well, the thing was that she didn’t like being under anybody’s control. She never had, not even when she had merely met Portugal and gotten her first ‘name’. “I know what you mean,” she giggled, nodding her head. That she had known ever since Yao had controlled them all. “You know, this is the society in which we live. You want to remain indoors and not ever come out, and, back when I wanted to be outside and wandering about, I got punished for it. Xǐjiǔ needs to make up his mind.” She was teasing, of course. But, that didn’t mean anything. It was still funny, and she had to admit that her previous feeling of annoyance had well disappeared. Personally, she saw the appeal at staying indoors. Mei might have done that had she not loved being outside so much.

She stared. She stared at Hourai. She wasn’t entirely sure how to feel. Her eyebrow hitched up, and she crossed her arms in front of her. She leaned forward and fixed her neighbor with a look. “I think Kiku might be right. I really do think that you’ve been inside for far too long.” Keeping in mind that Mei had also seen that meme before; keeping in mind that she had actually used that meme not too long ago. Yes, she played video games. She may not have been as good at it as America, Kiku…or even Hourai, apparently. But, she knew how to play. Mei actually liked playing with them every once and a while, but nothing pulled her more than wandering around the streets of Taipei. “I’m happy that that would have been a good time for you, but…I would rather not have to go through that again.” She winced some, rubbing her shoulder absently. Kiku had just…given her back to Yao after World War II.

Sure, at first, Mei had been excited that she was going to go and live with her big brother, but…once she had gotten there…everything changed. It hadn’t been long after she had been given to Yao that they got into their argument. She had accepted the people that had fled him for a long period of time. She blinked, snapping herself out of it. “I tried your door. I even tried to yell. You didn’t answer, and I wanted to see you.” She beamed and held up her camera, patting it with a grin on her face. “I got the picture for it on my computer back in Taipei. I’ll email it to you, okay?” She giggled and kicked her feet back and forth. She didn’t remember who had given her the camera, just that she had been grateful for it every day since. “I even took a picture of the look on Xǐjiǔ’s face when I showed him!”

Mei snorted and nodded her head. “I always ask Korea to give me copies of his soap operas. I don’t know why, but it always makes me laugh.” Her smile turned silly. “Or cry; it really depends on what he shows me…” And, man, did her ‘brother’ have a lot of weird videos that he showed. Every new one that she received was a lot weirder than the last one. Yet, regardless of that, it was still very interesting. To her. There had been one occasion where she had tried to show the drama to someone from the Western side, but it hadn’t really happened. Then, she tilted her head to the side and regarded her friend with an amused look. “You’re going to use me…to not get kicked out of your room?” She grinned. “How do you know I didn’t come here to visit him and only stopped because I saw you?” She waited for her words to sink in before she giggled and poked his arm. “I’m just kidding, really. Sure, I would love to! What did you have in mind?”

[ i f y o u c a t c h m e a t t h e b o r d e r ]

[/size]
GOT MY VISAS AND MY NAMES

words:: 873
tags:: Hourai/Mei
outfit:: here
credit:: xreebear
@ caution two point oh
notes:: am seriously about to pass out...[/center]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width: 450px; padding: 10px;][bg=121212][style=font-family: arial narrow; color: #00BBFF; font-weight: bold; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 16px; padding-left: 5px; border-left: 320px solid #00BBFF;]THIS IS A GAME.[/style] [style=text-align: left; color: #e4e4e4; font-size: 10px; letter-spacing: 3px; font-family: arial;]DO NOT TRUST YOUR EARS. WHAT YOU HEAR ARE LIES.[/style] [style=margin-top: 5px; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; color: #e4e4e4; background-color: #212121; padding: 5px; border: 1px solid #222222;] [style=zoom: 1; filter: alpha(opacity=70); opacity: 0.7; margin-right: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 10px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/ZoExa.png); float: left;] [/style] "They're getting a bit more confusing than before." Not as confusing as she was on her days, but even she have to admit that it probably be because of the people living amongst them. Well, times do change things so there's nothing much she could do about it. "Don't be ridiculous!" Hourai said, not exactly a bit too happy with the thought but, due to Taiwan's presence, decided to hold her own opinions about it to herself. "There's no such a thing as 'too much' when it comes to being stuck inside one's room, especially if it's mine," Or so she insisted. In fact, she rather like her room than to go out these days since she can pretty much look at it from the comforts of her home thanks to Television or Internet. Then again, going out once in a while is also a good thing so there's complaints. And she said, a while ago, that they are more confusing than her. Hah. "Yes, duly noted." A silent wait was emmitted from the raven-haired female as she gave a shifty look before realizing what Mei meant. Oh, she thought with a mental facepalm, that. It was one of her... 'worse' days, but there's nothing she could do, she was whining like a child back then and she wouldn't budge the door. It's just that she needs to finish that game with no interruption, she was this close! "Yes, but try not to put it on any social networking sites," Hourai commented with a mild chuckle. "So how does he look?" She added quickly. "Oh, Korea-san." There was a weary grin appearing on her face, knowing that though she like him as a friend, she find him annoying (less annoying than America, fortunately) and maybe a bit more naggy. At least she tolerates him despite the fact that he's not a bit happy with Japan around from time to time. Well, at least there's a bit of understanding between them. "He can be as loopy as the rest of us, so I don't mind," Okinawa said with a mild hum. "He's reliable, a bit annoying sometimes but he's not too much hassle." The female stated with a mental nod. Okinawa looked at her with a curious look, not entirely sure what she was talking about. Using her? Just so she could tell to Kiku that she actually 'went out'? And her curiosity went further at Mei's added statement, making the Okinawan a bit more bothered by it. It wasn't until she said she was just kidding and agreed that the female prefecture to accompany her. "We could go and see if we could look for some stuff to buy," Okinawa mused, shoving all her questions aside. "Or have a quick lunch since I've been here for a while. What do you say?" [style=color: #00BBFF; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: #121212; padding: 2px;]TAGGING: OPEN | TIMELINE: Present| NOTES: *grovels*[/style][/style]

[style=font-size: 10px; font-family: georiga; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 3px;]TEMPLATE BY SAMARECARM OF OTE[/style]

IF YOU WANNA FLY LIKE PAPER
[ g e t h i g h l i k e p l a n e s ]

There was so much life in Taipei. As much as Mei loved her room, she didn't think that she would ever be able to let herself stay locked up in there while she could go outside and wander around the streets. She adored the Tamsui River; loved to walk alongside the edge of it at night. And, if she wasn't doing that, then she liked to take the railways and go around the entire island. Sure, it took a long time, but she loved it. Everything always made it look so amazing, and she marveled at how her home had changed so much. “I think that, in most cases, that would be right. But, in yours...I would reevaluate that.” She patted her friend on the shoulder. “That reminds me – you're going to have to leave your house on Ne Year's Eve, yeah?” She remembered when she had been told that Taipei 101 wasn't the tallest tower anymore. She had always been so proud whenever it had been. She felt that, even though Yao and Kiku were still so much more advanced than she was, she finally accomplished something. “Last year, I watched the fireworks by myself. I'd like some company this year.”

But, she had lost that height whenever the Emirate of Dubai. She didn't blame them – but she still loved seeing things in her towns. Otherwise, how was she supposed to take such great pictures? A smile twitched its way onto her lips and she raised an eyebrow, shrugging with an almost evil look crossing her face. It was the sort of look that really only ever appeared whenever she was planning something evil. “You mean that I can't put it on instagram? Because, I had thought about putting it there. It's kind of disappointing that I can't...” She sighed, leaning back onto her heels. She hadn't really, frankly because Mei didn't want to deal with everyone yelling at her. She never reacted well to people doing that – she fought back. It always destroyed her afterwards, but she had never stopped.

Ah, her brother. She loved her brother so much, but he was always so weird around her. Weird because he was always screaming for the attention of one of their other brothers, and so she had never 'played' with him as a child. In fact, she had spent more time with Hong Kong than she had with him, but that didn't mean that she didn't like to call on him every once in a while. (At least South Korea was accepting of her – she hadn't spoken to North Korea in a long time.) “As the rest of us?” She repeated, snorting with her head shaking. Her brother was more than just a little bit loopy, and certainly more so than the rest of them. He was loud; eccentric. It was one of the things that she loved most above him. It was what made her like to be around him, even though he did tend to give her a headache with all of his cheerful disposition. Mei wasn't cynical, but she wasn't loud and happy...all of the time like her brother appeared to be a lot of the time. “I'd say he was crazier than the rest of us...”

Her eyes lit up and she clapped her hands in front of her. “Shopping?” She beamed, cheering up immediately. She loved to go shopping, even if it meant that she didn't always buy everything. In her mind, shopping didn't just mean buying things. It meant trying things on – and she was going to make sure that Hourai went out with some lovely things! “Sure! I would love to.” Mei tried not to bounce up and down, especially because it would give her weird looks from the people around her. “Let's get a quick lunch while we discuss where we're going.”

[ i f y o u c a t c h m e a t t h e b o r d e r ]

[/size]
GOT MY VISAS AND MY NAMES

words:: 646
tags:: Hourai/Mei
outfit:: here
credit:: xreebear
@ caution two point oh
notes:: o.o asdlfkjadf[/center]