[RL with Alize -shopping for Halloween in N.Y]

[clockmaster]

Hakuba stopped in front Alize and Dyme's apartment, with the magic broom of Elphaba on his hands. It was a good thing that the broom was started to be used to him because it wasn't easy to ride. Hakuba couldn't understand how Akako liked that type of objects too. It would be a witch's things, he thought and shrugged, ringing the bell.

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[dressedinmelody]

There was a loud call of "Just a minute!" and a few thumping noises before the door flew open to reveal Alize, dressed in her usual shorts and a long-sleeved shirt, her only concession to the dropping autumn temperatures. The apartment -- or what of it was visible through the door -- was of decent size, and just a bit messy, mostly due to musical scores and lyric sheets liberally stacked on every available surface. It pretty much looked exactly like what one would expect an apartment shared by two teenage musicians in the 80s to look like.

The pigtailed girl smiled at Hakuba. "Hey, there you are! Come in a sec, I just have to get some stuff."

She turned and made a beeline for one of the apartment's bedrooms, presumably to get her things. As she went, she passed through a beam of sunlight coming in from the window, and the pale mark of scars on both her legs shone in the light. They were oddly-shaped, almost like... music notes. But the sign was gone again in a flash as she disappeared into the bedroom.

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

Hakuba smiled at Alize. He didn't had the time to say a real 'hello', the girl was already on the other room. He noticed the strange pattern on her legs, but I could been a light trick.

He looked around, analyzing the room, old detective's habit, and then centered his attention in one of the lyric's sheets near a table full of them. As an occasional violinist, he could read it easily, and it was an interesting song. He started to humming the melody without notice it.

[dressedinmelody]

There was a murmur of Alize's voice in the bedroom, as if she were talking to someone, and then she reappeared after a few moments, wearing a jacket and carrying a small orange backpack over one shoulder. She grinned as she noticed Hakuba examining the lyric sheet, clearly pleased that he was interested.

"What do you think?" she asked, as she crouched by the door to put on her shoes. "Dyme wrote most of the music for that one. I helped him with the chorus and did the lyrics."

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

Hakuba blushed slightly, he didn't should be looking at her things. He blame in on his detective's side again.

"It's really good." He smiled apologetically. " You two work really well together then. What instrument is it for?"


(OOC: I have no idea about music, just for the records *mun's fail* >_>)

[dressedinmelody]

"Sitar," Alize explained, standing. "Although all the extra notes around the margins are adjustments for playing it on guitar. We've got percussion for it too, I just don't know where I put the sheet," she added, propping her hands on her hips and looking around for the sheet in question before shrugging and giving up.

"I can find it later. Ready to go?"

((I only barely know anything myself, despite two and two half-musicians in my family. XD;))

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

Hakuba smiled again."Sure, ehm.." He looked at the broom he was holding. It was still trying to fly away. "Do you mind if I left her here? In a closed place or a cabinet? A friend of mine, who's a witch too, gave it to me so I could world hopp." Hakuba frowned for a moment. "I met too many witches in my short life."

[dressedinmelody]

"Maybe you just naturally attract them," Alize teased, and looked around the room thoughtfully. "Hmm... Is the closet okay?"

She pulled the door in question open, revealing a coat closet just a little crowded with coats, umbrellas, and other paraphernalia. "It's kind of full, but there should be enough room. And it'll be hard for her to break anything."

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

Hakuba nodded and left the broom inside the closet, the broom trembled for a moment, suspended in mid air and Hakuba closed the door quickly. A loudly 'twack' against the door was heard the next moment.

"Sorry, it has a character. I'm ready"

[dressedinmelody]

"I hope it doesn't find a way out," Alize muttered, eyeing the closet door a little warily, then turned to the front door. "Okay, let's go!"

She ushered Hakuba out the door and locked the door behind them, then headed for the hallway's stairwell. The apartment was only on the fifth floor, and Alize was usually too impatient to wait for the elevator, opting to take the stairs instead.

"Where do you want to start?" she asked as they entered the stairwell, her voice echoing strangely among the metal flights. "Times Square? The Concourse? The Garment District? Fifth Avenue?"

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

"I never been in New York before, and i don't know where the costume shop are." Hakuba stock his hands in his trousers's pockets "Your election, Alize."

[dressedinmelody]

Alize looked thoughtful as she continued to clatter down the stairs. "Fifth Avenue and the Garment District are pretty pricey. We should probably start with the concourse under the Rockefeller Center. If we can't find anything there, we can check Times Square."

She hit the ground floor landing and opened a door to the outside, opening the building up to the afternoon sun and the sounds of Manhattan's Upper West Side. "Times Square is right by Broadway, so there's a lot of theatre places. We might luck out and find one clearing out their old costumes at discount prices."

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

Hakuba looked around them, since he used the broom to arrive and it left him on the roof, he had no time to see the city from this point of view. The city couldn't compare to Paris or Venice, but he liked the change of style and the high buildings.

"Don't worry about the prices. I'm going to take care of that." He smiled at Alize. "You can choose the shop you want, even if it's on Five Avenue."

[dressedinmelody]

"Are you sure?" Alize glanced at him, surprised, as they turned down the sidewalk. "They're ritzy. Although I guess they wouldn't have Halloween costumes anyway, so it's probably still a good idea to check there last."

She kicked up some fallen leaves as they went, watching the colours scatter across the pavement. "It's a bit of a walk," she admitted. "Do you want to take the bus?"

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure. you been really nice to me, so I want to do something for you." Hakuba took out his pocket watch, the one that Akako gave him for his birthday. "We have time. We can look for the costume and then for some clothes for you. Or go to lunch, I want to try the hot dogs."

Hakuba nodded, looking around with curiosity. "I can see a bus stop at the end of the street, you know the rute?"

[dressedinmelody]

Alize blushed modestly at the compliment. She wasn't used to people calling her 'nice'. 'Stubborn', or 'fun', or 'talented', maybe, but not nice. "I was just being normal, that's all," she mumbled, then brightened. "Lunch, definitely. I've got enough clothes."

Alize glanced up the road at traffic and then at her watch. "Yup, we need to catch the 7 going south. It should be here any-- "

She was interrupted by the loud and tell-tale hiss of bus brakes nearby. With a small yelp, she dashed for the bus stop, waving the driver down so he'd know they wanted to get on.

Every single time, she thought irritably to herself. She'd never gotten used to the bus system in this city.

"Sorry about that," she apologized to Hakuba as they got on. She dropped in enough change to cover both their fares, and handed the detective his transfer as the bus pulled away from the stop. "I think the buses are only on time when you don't want them to be."

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

"Normal is a rare thing around me." Hakuba grinned, but was interrupted by the arriving the bus.

"It's ok. Used to run after kid, a bus is less strange." As they traveled, Hakuba looked at the crowed streets and wondered if all the people on this city always took the time to stop and look up to the sky.

"Sad thing, I hate not being on time." No wonder Kuroba called him a time freak, he was in fact a bit obsessed. "How long you been living here?"

[dressedinmelody]

"A little over half a year," Alize answered, looked away from the window. The bus to Times Square was usually pretty crowded, especially on the weekend, so they were left with standing room only. "I came here in the winter. I wanted to make sure Dyme was okay and wound up staying."

Well, it was half a lie. She'd always intended on staying in New York -- the situation with Eyguebelle back in Widow's Kiss had passed the tolerable point, and she wanted to live somewhere where she wouldn't be considered the sole 'ward' of the Maisterzingers. Somewhere where her history wasn't known and people wouldn't look at her with pity almost everywhere she went. But she hadn't been sure Dyme would let her live with him specifically. She'd been prepared to eke out her own apartment in the city, even though she knew it would be incredibly hard.

Luckily for her, Dyme had caved and allowed her to share rent with him before it had come to that.

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

Hakuba just nodded, he knew how hard was the situation with Dyme for Alize. The boy caressed her arm comforting and studied the city until the bus stopped and they got down.

"Where we go now?" he smiled at Alize.

[dressedinmelody]

"This way," Alize instructed, grabbing Hakuba's wrist and dragging him in the direction of Fifth Avenue and the world-renowned Rockefeller Center. "The concourse is underneath," she explained as they entered the Center's plaza, where the famous ice rink was situated, sunken a floor beneath the main street. It wasn't cold enough for the rink to be frozen over yet, and the paved area was covered with tents and awnings belonging to the concourse shops beneath.

Alize passed by the restaurants on their level, and headed for one of the elevators at the ends of the rink so that they could go down. "You should come visit at Christmas," she mused as they waited for the elevator. "There's a huge tree, and everything's all lit up. I heard it's really beautiful."