Uzume Shinohara
October 27, 2014 1:51 AM
Happy Holidays? (Tag: Makenzie Newell) by Uzume Shinohara
Uzu relaxed into the tub while reading The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle, giggling to herself all the while. Uzume couldn't believe that she had forgotten about it, let alone that an old school mate had it the entire time. She flipped to the next page, savoring each panel as she read. She didn't have much spare time during her vacation because of “family time” and dancing practices, so it was nice to have some time to herself. She always managed to slip away from the crowds during parties, but it was never long before she was discovered and dragged into an annoying conversation. Daisuke was the only exception to this. If anyone had to interrupted her alone time during the New Year’s party, she was happy it was at least him.It was approaching the 20 minute time mark when she got out of the bath and exited the washroom dressed in her usual lounging kimono. It was amazing how quickly she could fall back into her Sonora routine. Uzume wasn’t sure if she liked that however as a routine meant one was predictable and boring- two things she was trying hard to avoid at all costs. After placing her comic on her bedside, she scurried through her trunk to find the wrapped boxes she had prepared for her roommates. It was an act of courtesy rather than friendship, for she honestly didn't know the girls well enough to call them companions. She hadn't really talked to Makenzie, and Araceli was a lost cause when it came to speech, so Uzu didn't have very much to go on when it came to buying them gifts. From observing her cousins, she figured girls would like any gift as long as it was appeasing to the eye. As a result she decided on gifting them silk folding fans, as not only would they be useful but beautiful as well. Wizarding Japanese fans were famous for their moving motifs. Although not nearly as magnificent as a Mahou-tsukai sensu*, they were a close second.
Uzu noticed that Araceli seemed to have been avoiding her, or at least avoided being in the same room at the same time. Uzu didn’t mind however, as she felt this actually worked in her favor giving her more privacy. However this also made gift giving a lot more difficult. She quickly took out a quill and began to write on a piece of parchment to attach to the box.
“I know it’s not much, but I hope you will please accept this. Happy Winter Holidays.
The phrase made much more sense in person and in Japanese, but this would have to do. After attaching the letter she left the present on Araceli’s bed.
“I have a roommate gift for you,” she said handing Makenzie the yellow box. Of the two fans she had only been particular about Araceli’s. Uzu made sure to give her the fan with a brightly colored butterfly motif, as she thought it might be good way to balance out Araceli’s quiet demeanor. However, because Uzume didn’t know much about Makenzie, she couldn’t make it as personalized. In the end, she decided on a red and yellow cherry blossom motif, knowing that she couldn’t go wrong with a classic design.
"Happy new year and winter holidays," Uzume added robotically. She wasn't sure what her roommate celebrated during the holidays, or if she celebrated anything at all. Uzu’s own family wasn't very religious by American standards, although they did participate in both Buddhist and Shinto customs especially around New years. The greeting was more of a formality than anything else, she really didn't care how Makenzie’s holidays had went. Despite Uzume’s disinterest in the lives of her roommates, she was curious what Makenzie would be like. She had never had many girl friends growing up, as she found them to be incredibly annoying, but she hoped that her roommate would prove to be more than just a useless princess.
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Uzume Shinohara
Happy Holidays? (Tag: Makenzie Newell)
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Makenzie Newell
October 31, 2014 3:40 PM
Back at you! by Makenzie Newell
For Makenzie, holidays like Christmas meant a lot of commotion. In fact, she found herself busier at home than she was at school, daily homework replaced by social obligations and family gatherings. And of course, those gatherings tended to get just a bit chaotic.Christmas Eve was spent with the Hartfields, her mother’s family, in Ohio. Her grandparents’ house was rather spacious, but when cramped with three generations, the family got a little intimate in the parlor. Makenzie enjoyed spending time with her three aunts and uncles and their seven total children, and while it sometimes seemed busy, Christmas Day was even worse.
The Newell adult generation consisted of her father and his four siblings, all of whom were married and had their own children, barring his youngest (and favorite) sister Brigette, who had not been married to Torvald Lowry that long and had not yet given him a child. But the absence was more than accounted for by the other three siblings, who had a total of nine children between them. As with this group, Makenzie was the eldest, her cousins ranging widely in age below her. It was always an adventure, to say the least.
That being said, the Crotalus was still glad to begin easing back into school. Holidays were hectic, but in amongst the chaos, she had managed time to acquire presents for her roommates. She had not spoken to either of them too deeply in the first half of the year, but Makenzie was optimistic about their relationship, hoping to fully befriend at least one of them soon. As an only child, she was used to feeling alone, but as one of many cousins, she had learned to appreciate others, so not really having any friends yet was a bit disheartening.
She was therefore surprised when her roommate Uzume approached her. "I have a roommate gift for you." A moment later, a yellow box transferred hands. "Happy new year and winter holidays." For a split second, Makenzie just stared at the box, but she soon immersed herself in carefully opening the box. When she discovered its contents, she smiled earnestly, “Oh, this is beautiful!” She toyed delicately with the fan, taking simple delight in watching the cherry blossoms move across the folds. “I love it! Thank you!”
“I also have something for you, actually,” Makenzie added, digging through her pockets--tailors that sewed pockets into skirts and dresses gave her hope--for the two small boxes she carried. One was black, the other dark red; it was the red one which she handed to Uzume. Inside was a necklace with a beach glass pendant, not too big but a stunning red in color, a characteristically semi-translucent piece Makenzie had found on the shores of Lake Erie over the summer when visiting some of the Hartfields in Ohio. It was actually one of her best finds. (The one she had made Araceli was similar but green.) In the time provided for Uzume to open the red box, Makenzie added merrily, “Did you have a nice break?”
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Back at you!
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Uzume Shinohara
November 05, 2014 7:43 PM
Why thank you. by Uzume Shinohara
Although to Uzume, the gift she had given Makenzie was really nothing special, she did find herself getting a little tickled with pride that it was able to get such a reaction from her roommate. Although what else was to be expecpted when receiving something from Japan? In Uzume's humble opinion, they had much more style than their western counterparts.Uzume nodded her head slightly in response to Makenzie words of gratitude. She was a little surprised that she had gotten her something as well. She inconspicuously eyed her roommate, contemplating different reasonings for the gift as the girl dug through her pockets. American ideals- especially those regarding gift-giving holidays- tended to be quite different from Japan's, so she wasn't sure what the girl was attempting to say by her gift. Perhaps it was an olive branch of peace, or (as Uzume hoped) an unintentional white flag of surrender, AKA: a female friendship.
Makenzie handed her a small red box which she took with both hands and a smile. "Thank you very much," she said poilitely. After opening it, Uzume discovered a red stone like pendant. She touched the pendant, admiring it's translucent qualities. Much to her dismay, she did find it pretty, and liked it a lot as it was different from the fashion she was used to. Although she would have never admitted such things, and instead held back most of her excitement by only letting a smile surface on her face, lest she be hypocritical.
“Did you have a nice break?” Makenzie added, cheerfully.
"Yes I did. It was nice to go home for a while," she replied. Although she could have lived without the extended family interactions, she did enjoy the time she had spent with her immediate family. Even her young brother had become more tolerable now that he was a toddler. "I'm not really a fan of the desert, so it was nice to have the cold weather again, and all the festivities that come with it," she continued, not bothering to hide her distain for desert life. "We don't really celebrate Christmas, but there are a lot of traditional things to do in winter like New Years," Uzume added, thinking back to the events of the party. Even the slightest thought of the night was enough to make Uzume smile, however she tried not to let her giddiness spill too much into the conversation.
"And you?" she asked curiously. "I trust yours was nice based on your tone? You are a perky little thing huh?" she asked bluntly, although not in an outwardly malicious way. It was too early for Uzume to tell if her cheeriness was ignorance, or just the 'Christmas spirt' leaking into her voice.
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Uzume Shinohara
Why thank you.
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Makenzie
November 10, 2014 7:00 PM
Of course! by Makenzie
Uzume only smiled a little bit upon opening her present, but Makenzie felt satisfied in that as it seemed Uzume was not a big smiler in general. Thus even this small smile meant something, didn’t it? Makenzie was not entirely sure, but she preferred to remain positive in such matters. This, she decided, was in fact progress.She was glad to hear Uzume reporting of a nice break, and she nodded along as her roommate expressed some distaste for the desert. Makenzie did enjoy Sonora, but she sometimes wished it was located somewhere else. Michigan could get fairly warm in the summer, but it was nothing compared to this southern desert. Like Uzume, she much preferred the cold weather.
Makenzie found the idea of not celebrating Christmas both unusual and intriguing, and though she tried to imagine what that would be like, she found herself unable. Evidently, traditional western holidays were too cemented into her system after living them for eleven years. She did feel a tug of curiosity toward the new years celebrations Uzume mentioned, and she might have asked about their contents if her roommate had not gone on. “And you? I trust yours was nice based on your tone? You are a perky little thing huh?”
“Oh, yes, it was lovely, thank you,” the redhead smiled. “I had a wonderful time. And, ah, sorry.” She added the apology for her giddiness even though Uzume did not seem very upset about it. It was most for good measure. “I do tend to be a bit bubbly once I get started. You’ll have to pardon me.” She almost felt she might blush but, not detecting any change in the heat of her cheeks, assumed she was spared.
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Of course!
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