{ the real me }

{ Independent Roleplay Blog for Rise Kujikawa. Multiship and somewhat selective. Please read the about and rules pages before interacting. }

[inxba--idxl]

{ local talent } -- idol!mami

[tomoe-hime]

       ”W-Well.. where we are now.. actually isn’t too far from my home.” Mami admits with a sheepish giggle.

     ”Of course I have to be on the road a lot for work, but I do have permanent residence in the penthouse in one of the buildings about four blocks from here… someplace to stay between gigs and whenever I need time to re-cooperate.”

     With a light tilt of her head, Mami glances up at Rise. “Y-You’re more than welcome to stay with me, if you’d like. It would save you the hassle of having to sort out all of that hotel paperwork… a-and people would have a harder time finding you! E-Er… o-only if you want, of course…”

[inxba--idxl]

     "Stay with you? Are you sure about that? I can be a bit of an annoying doof and a slob to live with, I don't want to get in your way or annoy you at all," Rise told her, laughing quietly. 

     "But ... you know, that's actually not a bad idea. If I stay with you, I don't have to put my name on any hotel paperwork. That way there's less chance of a paparazzo tracking that information down and... trying to take pictures of me when I'm showering or whatever weird stuff they do."

     She gave Mami's hand a tight squeeze, before letting go. "Heck! You're right! It's a great idea! We can totally be roomies. This is gonna be so much fun~!"

[inxba--idxl]

{ local talent } -- idol!mami

[tomoe-hime]

       Surprisingly enough, Rise’s words are enough to coax out a genuine smile from Mami. Not one of the uneasy and awkward ones she’s been forcing out all night, but a legitimate grin as she clasps her hands excitedly in front of her.

     ”I-I’m going to do my very best to make you proud, Kujikawa-senpai!” She declares boldly, despite the heat still welling in her cheeks and ears. “-Ah… um… but what do we have to do first? H-Have you already gotten settled in somewhere for your stay?”

     Yeah, it seems that Rise had pretty much kickstarted some sort of energy in the girl and now she was just… practically bouncing as she blabbered on. Maybe Mami was a bit too eager but, hell, nobody had worked with her since Kyouko left and the prospect is really exciting.

[inxba--idxl]

     Rise grinned at Mami, "Yeah! That kind of enthusiasm is exactly what you need to make it big~" Rise said cheerfully, winking at the younger idol. "You're already totally on the right track~"

    "... as for a place to stay. Well... I really need to go pay for a hotel room, I was thinking of getting a penthouse suite... I heard that the hotels around here are really nice, and expensive," she giggled faintly, "But that's totally okay, I just signed a new contract, so it's not money is really an issue at all anymore."

     She looked at Mami, "... what about you? Where do you stay? I bet it's somewhere nice, all the buildings in this city seem really... really super amazing~"

[inxba--idxl]

{ local talent } -- idol!mami

[tomoe-hime]

       Am I dreaming…?

    There was no way on earth Rise just offered to take her under her wing. Mami has to be… sleep deprived or hallucinating or something because it just wasn’t possible. Every single thing that had come out of her colleague’s mouth has been way too good to be true, now that she thought about it. 

     ”Y-You’d… do that for me…?” She murmurs softly, face as red as humanly possible by now. Without much of a thought to it, her own dainty hands snag Rise’s, offering the lightest of squeezes.

    “P-Please!” Mami blurts out, golden hues intent on the older girl’s face. “I-I want to be confident and cool like you s-so I can make people happy… s-so… p-please teach me all you know about being an idol! I-I’ll be the best kohai I can, f-for Kujikawa-senpai! A-Anything you think is necessary, I-I’ll do it!”

    Swallowing the lump in her throat, the girl can’t help but fidget. “I-I’m j-just… r-really tired of being like this… I-I want to be confident and self reliant a-and… a-and I’ll do whatever I have to so I-I can be a real idol, l-like you!”

[inxba--idxl]

     Me, a senpai? Wow, if her friends could see her now, they'd find that thought utterly hilarious. I could be senpai... well, that settled it, she was more than willing go ahead with that. Besides, the last thing she wanted to do was pop Mami's bubble of enthusiasm. 

    She smiled, squeezing Mami's hands back, "Of course I can, I'll teach you everything I know~"

    "And my first lesson?" she grinned, still squeezing Mami's hands. "You already are a real idol. All you need is the right marketing and image, and then other people are going to see that fact just as easily as I do," she let go of Mami's hands, smiling.

    "Don't you worry, Kujikawa-senpai is gonna do her best to teach you everything she knows! It's gonna be awesome~!" 

[inxba--idxl]

{ local talent } -- idol!mami

[tomoe-hime]

        For the first time since she had gotten dressed, Mami actually manages to glance over at the other girl and hold eye contact for a few moments before she finally finds it in her to say something.

    “I… I-I don’t get it…. w-we hardly know one another… a-and… a-and you’re famous and talented and important… b-but you’re still… being so nice to me… I-I don’t really understand why…”

     A bit bashfully, she adds, “Y-You keep acting like w-we’re equals when, really, y-you’re leagues ahead of me. It’s… c-confusing….”

[inxba--idxl]

     Rise placed a hand on Mami's shoulder and smiled, "Hey now. Don't go selling yourself short. You're pretty awesome. I saw you out there performing. You're just as talented as I am~ You've got all the right pieces there to make it huge," 

     She nodded, "Yeah, we're totally equals. The only difference between you and me is that I've had a few more lucky breaks and a better publicist, I'm not more important than you are, Mami-chan~" 

     She gave Mami's shoulder another squeeze, and let her hand fall to her side. "You know, if you ever want we can totally talk business. I'd be more than willing to give you a few pointers when it comes to expanding your career~"

[inxba--idxl]

{ local talent } -- idol!mami

[tomoe-hime]

       Judging by the look on Mami’s face, that… hit a little too close to home.

   ”I… I-I know what you mean…” She murmurs, rubbing faintly at her arm. “I was always so busy when I did go to school that I didn’t have many close friends. Then I got scouted and… p-people started to want to be my friend but… for all the wrong reasons…w-when I think about it, there’s only been one other person I ever felt close with but she…”

     The sentence trails off, Mami averting her gaze to her feet in a show of shame. The last thing she needed to do was dump all of her problems of someone she just met, let alone Rise. 

     ”M-My apologies, Kujikawa-san… t-that was probably a bit overly familiar of me… I-I shouldn’t have… mnn…”

[inxba--idxl]

     Rise frowned a little. There she went again, being a total motor-mouth and bringing up subjects that might not be pleasant for other people. Really, she needed to learn to hush up sometimes. 

     "Hey, hey. Don't worry about it. It's totally okay, if you don't wanna talk about things, you don't gotta. I'm just a bit of a doof sometimes, y'might start to notice that," she let out a small laugh. 

     "So if I'm talking way too much or something, just let me know and I'll be quiet lickity-split... and if you want to talk or vent or anything, just let me know. Rise-chan is always willing to listen! That's why I read all my fan mail, after all~"

[inxba--idxl]

{ local talent } -- idol!mami

[tomoe-hime]

       If you asked Mami, she had hardly done anything that qualified as ‘neat’ in the short time they had been in one another’s presence. Hell, if anything, she’s made a grand fool of herself.

     ”I-I… a-ah… I-I can try…” She offers in response, faintly rubbing at her elbow. “I-I’m not sure I know anything too interesting though. Even before my career, I attended a private school and all… mm… I… I-I guess you could say I was a bit sheltered… ”

     Clearing her throat, she adds, “N-Not that I-I’m sheltered now! N-No, I… I-I’m totally… er… c-cool and… stuff…”

     Someone shut her up now before she embarrasses herself further.

[inxba--idxl]

     "Relax, relax. I was just kidding anyway. I know you're cool~ It's probably best if we don't go to seedy places," Rise chimed, "My agent would blow a gasket if I was ever spotted in a place like that. Especially after that weird... uh... rumor flying around about me now... " Rise rubbed at the back of her neck, quickly moving the conversation along rather than dwelling on that.

     "And wow. A private school? That actually sounds really cool! I was in a public school until a talent agent recruited me... then I had to get tutored because I was always on tours," Rise stared at her fingers, as if counting things off, 

"... and then when I had my hiatus, I went back to school in Inaba... but now since I'm back, it's totally tutoring again... " her face knitted into a bit of a frown. 

     "I kinda miss it, y'know? Going to proper classes, hanging out with friends. I wish I could be nationally famous idol and still go to a normal school... it's not fair... "

[inxba--idxl]

{ local talent } -- idol!mami

[tomoe-hime]

        After a bit of fumbling, Mami manages to get on her tanktop and shorts, only to turn and realize that… well, Rise had been watching her the entire time. Lovely. Absolutely lovely. Nothing mortifyingly embarrassing about that at all.

     Someone kill me now—

     After a moment of fidgeting with her clothes, she clears her throat and turns her attention to something, anything else. That something ends up being one of the random paintings hanging on her dressing room wall, something she hadn’t even realized was in here until now.

     ”A-Ah… m-me…?” She squeaks in response, as if there was even anyone else in the damn room. "I-I mean… I-I wouldn’t mind getting to know you better at all, K-Kujikawa-san. B-But… e-er… are you… sure you want to spend that much time with me? U-Uuu…"

[inxba--idxl]

    "Well of couuurse I wanna spend time with you, you seem pretty neat," Rise said, giggling playfully at just how squeaky and stammery Mami could get. 

     "And besides. It's not like I have anyone else to hang out with, I don't know anyone in this city... so who better to show me around than somebody in the same line of work?" 

     "You've got to know like... all the ins and outs of this city, all the hidden gems," her voice lowered, adopting a sly, conspiratorial tone, "... the seedy places, where kids aren't even allowed to go... "

[inxba--idxl]

{ local talent } -- idol!mami

[tomoe-hime]

       She… wasn’t leaving. Why wasn’t she leaving?! Mami suppresses the urge to just bury her face in her hands in shame right then and there. How in the world was she supposed to get undressed with one of the biggest idols in the world right there?! Today was going to be the death of her.

     ”A-Ah… u-um… r-right…” She mumbles, only half listening to the other girl’s ramblings. Hesitantly, she reaches for the drawstrings to the robe, pulling them loose and allowing the fabric to fall to her feet. With that, she starts towards the wardrobe to gather up some civilian clothes.

     ”I-I hope you’re enjoying the city so far… I-I… er… I-I’ve lived here for a long time a-and I think it’s a v-very pleasant place…”

[inxba--idxl]

     "Oh, I am. A big city can feel like a lot of fun after spending so much time in a small town like Mitakihara... though... this place isn't too big. It's a nice size... " Rise hummed softly, as she tapped one finger against the wall, "And everything here seems so modern too, the technology, the architecture... "

     She let out a small giggle, "I feel like I'm in the future when I walk around here, it's super neat!" 

     "One thing I haven't figured out is where a good place to get food around here is... " she turned her head around to look at Mami (whether the blonde was completely dressed or not), "... do you think you could show me around a little? I mean, if that's not asking for too much. You can just give me a list of good places if you prefer."

[inxba--idxl]

{ local talent } -- idol!mami

[tomoe-hime]

       Was this girl serious right now?! The realization that Rise wasn’t going to be giving Mami any privacy any time soon is definitely a startling one and the fact that she’s saying such embarrassing things all the while certainly doesn’t help.

     ”I-I… y-you were… w-watching me..?!” Mami sputters, cheeks heating up considerably. “I-I d-didn’t know… n-nobody… t-told me that you… t-this i-is a h-huge surprise, actually!”

     No shit.

      Casting a pitiful look about the room, Mami whines before glancing back to Rise. “I-I should… p-probably slip into something m-more casual b-before anything else—”

      Please take the hint and leave the room.

[inxba--idxl]

    "More comfortable? That bathrobe looks pretty comfy to me, but if you're sure, go ahead," for a few seconds, Rise just stared at Mami. And then she realized that... well, perhaps Mami was shy about that sort of thing.

     "Ah! Right! I'm such a doofus sometimes! Sorry about that," and then... Rise turned her back to Mami. She didn't leave the room, she merely turned her back to the girl. "Lemme know when you're properly dressed~"

     And then... Rise just continued to casually speak as if absolutely nothing was amiss at all. "And yes, nobody would have told you I was in town. It's strictly confidential right now, I decided to come a here a few weeks early. To get a feel for the place, meet some of the local talent... "

     "And really, it's better if my agent doesn't let anyone know I'm here... I can hardly do this kind of thing if people know I'm in town and on the lookout for me..." look at her, still talking as if she expected Mami to get changed right then and there.

     At least she wasn't looking at Mami directly. 

[inxba--idxl]

{ local talent } -- idol!mami

[tomoe-hime]

       Oh dear… not this again. Every so often, a dedicated fan would manage to weasel past security and Mami was just too tenderhearted to turn them away. 

      Which wouldn’t be a problem if some of her fans weren’t so damn crazy.

       Hesitantly, she makes her way over to the door, clasping at the collar of her fluffy bathrobe in a show of anxiousness, before turning the lock and peering out. What she sees? It’s… definitely not what she expected. 

      “A-Ah…!” Before she can help it she practically squeals and jolts backwards. It wasn’t often someone you admired so much shored up at your doorstep after all.

  “B-But y-you’re…! K-K-Kujikawa-san! I-I didn’t know that you… t-that I-I.. I-I mean….!” Hurriedly shaking her head, the girl gives an apologetic bow. “I-It’s very nice to meet you!”

     It would probably be nicer if you were wearing more than a robe too, Mami.

[inxba--idxl]

   "Aheh, yup. You caught me, I'm Rise Kujikawa~! Hey there~!"

      "Kujikawa-san? That's a new one, usually it's only ever Risette, or Rise-chan with the more die-hard fans," Rise smiled, as she smoothly stepped into the room, closing the door behind herself.

     It seemed she was rather used to the kind of reaction Mami was having, all things considered. 

     "I'm sorry for that little tiny joke back there... that was a tiny bit mean... but all in good fun~" Rise chimed, as she grinned at Mami. "But I was actually being serious. Can I have your autograph? I just watched you perform out there and you totally rocked!"

    Yeah, it seemed like Rise wasn't going to even acknowledge the fact that Mami was wearing little more than a robe at that moment.

[inxba--idxl]

{ local talent } -- idol!mami

     Whenever Rise performed in a new city, she always liked to learn as much as she could. About the people, the local talent, the best food and venues. It was important to the fans that they felt as if she was invested in their city. And a little bit of research went a long way in establishing that.

     And Mitakihara was no different. In fact, Rise had just got done attending a live performance of one of the city's local stars. Mami Tomoe... Rise had to admit, she was good. Larger cities like Mitakihara always did seem to field some of the best talent. 

     Rise decided right then, she wanted to work with this girl. Now normally in situations like this, the industry standard thing would be to tell her agent to contact Mami Tomoe's, and then they would work out a contract and collaboration deal. Very dry, very stiff and formal, and really very fake. Rise liked to do these kinds of things herself.

     It was trivial enough Rise to waltz backstage, (being Risette did have its advantages after all), find the door to the green room, and gently rap her knuckles against it. 

      "Exxxxxxcuuuuse me... " Rise chimed, doing her best imitation of an "over-excited fan-girl", "... is Tomoe-Hime there? I'm so super-totally-excited to meet you, ohmygosh! Can I have your autograph?!" she babbles through the door. Her acting abilities were still top-notch, of course.

     Sure, maybe it was a little mean to trick the girl into thinking she very eager fan that got past security, but was was life without a few little jokes?

[inxba--idxl]

Profile --

Rise "Risette" Kujikawa // Seventeen // Pop Idol Superstar

Occupation: A highly accomplished idol, and perhaps one of the very best around at the height of her career. Though she's trying to make a comeback now, Risette still has that special kind of magic that draws crowds without fail.

Residence: Though her home is still technically in Inaba, she spends much of her time on tour, thus spending most of her time in hotel rooms or trailers between performances. 

About: A pop sensation, a household name, a superstar. Risette was one of the top idols in all of Japan. Until she gave up show-business to live a normal and ordinary life in her hometown in Inaba.

But now, two years later, Rise has made a splash in the industry and among die-hard fans by announcing her intent to return to to the stage. So far, her comeback has been a stellar success. 

Personality: Risette is a bubbly, fun loving girl. Super excited for everything she does, be it performing the top hits for her fans, or preparing an authentic, Inaba-cooked meal to share with her friends and family. With Risette, everything she does is going to put a smile on your face. 

Hold it... You're not actually going to publish this drek, are you? People are going to take one look at this and think I'm a total fake. We can't let this be my public profile... — Rise 

What's wrong with it? I think it makes  you look cute. 

It makes me look fake you don't even talk about what happened in Inaba. Isn't that kind of important? — Rise

What? You mean your connection to a bunch of weird murders that took place? You don't want that in your profile, that's just going to turn people off. You don't want to give them any excuses to turn on you, thinks might be going well now, but you know how unforgiving this business can be sometimes. 

I... suppose. You are my manager, you know what you're talking about. Leave that stuff about Inaba out. But I still don't like this profile very much — Rise

I'll look into reviewing it. We have a few weeks before your next album comes out anyway. Plenty of time. 

Really??? Thank you!!! You are so awesome ! xoxoxoxox — Rise

[inxba--idxl]

"Stay tuned everybody. Because Risette is making an amazing career comeback after a year of rest and relaxation. I know you're all super excited for my return! And I'm waaaaay excited too!" 

"I can't wait~!"