Day 41: Women's Showers

[revolutionise]

Utena was very, very glad that the patients were finally being allowed to go to the showers. Even for a girl more used to sweating than many in her gender, two days without a shower was definitely enough to make her feel stickier and stinkier than she preferred to be. Especially after all the running around and tearing apart of rooms she, Celes and Edward had done the night before.

I really hope those rooms magically turned clean this morning or something, like every other place in here seems to, Utena thought at that, hoping that no patients had awoken to the rather desperate-looking remains of a break-and-enter.

Taking a wash towel from one of the baskets, Utena headed for a free showerhead.

[Free. Limit: Any]

Comments

[revolutionise]

"Well of course no one should. I don't see what the others don't see about tha-- wait, what?" Utena paused. Her cheeks flushed pink. She was pretty sure that Himemiya didn't really want to be anyone's bride yet. They were all too young for that kind of thing, weren't they? She was also pretty sure that she didn't want to be Utena's girlfriend either, because that seemed . . . weird. Himemiya had never seemed like that type, had she?

Well there was that one dance on the night of the ball. She seemed to enjoy it a lot . . . No, no, that was something different! I think? Oh boy.

"Er, well, it's hard to tell. She has this way of hiding the things she's really thinking and pretending that everything's okay when it's not," she tried to explain, hopefully without embarrassing herself too much. "It worries me sometimes. I've ended up assuming too much before about what she wants, and I don't want to do that again."

[akarusa.livejournal.com]

Hokuto just smiled a little more. "Then I think you're doing good enough by her. Just don't pressure her. Even if you can't get her to take any initiative, being open and not expecting anything goes a long way."

It had occurred to her that as the "Bride", Anthy might be forced into... certain acts. Hokuto's own girlfriend at home, in a way, had been as well. So Hokuto knew a little about gently coaxing someone to open up after bad experiences.

[revolutionise]

"Thanks. That's what I like to think will help too," said Utena, finishing the rinsing of her hair and body and finally turning off the shower spray. She was pretty sure she didn't want to mention anything of the way in which Himemiya had tried to open up the other night, saying something about not being who Utena thought she was. Utena still wasn't even sure what to think about those words, let alone what a stranger would think. A very nice stranger, but still.

"Anyway, thanks for keeping me company. If you ever want to get a hold of me again or need help with anything, post a message to the bulletin board. We just met, but I get the feeling we could be really good friends," Utena said with a smile as she began toweling herself off. "I think I'm going to go looking for my friend after this. I haven't seen her since yesterday."