practicing-the-occultâ:
OkaâŚwasnât expecting this. She was used to getting the stink-eye from people about her appearance and her grimoire (usually in combination, not just one or the other) and the occasional snide comment or twentyâŚevery so often, somebody would take their mockery to a moreâŚphysical level. Sheâd been on the receiving end of many a wet willie, swirlie and their like.
That is to say, she gets bullied. Like, a lot.
But one thing she still finds herself distinctly unprepared for is interest. No games, no lies, no building up trust just to slap her across the face when she thinks sheâs finally made a friendâŚjust genuine, unabated curiosity. Neat.
âŚOh! Thatâs right, she actually has to, like, talk to people and stuff. Gathering her thoughts and resisting the pressing urge to go off on a tangent about the wonders of magic (that can wait), she stammers out a response. She canât look the other girl in the eyes, though the fact that theyâre partially obscured by her hair helps a little bit. Perhaps they have that in common, at least.
âI-Itâs, uhh, my g-grimoire. F-For casting spells, and, ummâŚb-brewing potions, andâŚth-things like that.â
âOh, ye gods, that was pitiful!â Oka thought to herself, mentally slamming her head against a wall for her profound inability to explain anything to a sufficient degree. Surely, this girl must hate her alreadyâŚÂ
Externally, however, Oka manages a small smile. What comes next after answers, againâŚ? Oh, right! Introductions! She read about this in a book somewhere, didnât she? Okay, Oka, deep breaths, you can do this. Itâs just a greeting â how hard can it be?
âI-Iâm Oka, by the way. O-Oka Ruto. I-I guess it k-kind of does sound like âoccultâ, i-if you say it quicklyâŚenoughâŚa-ahaha.â
âAww, nice going, idiot! You screwed it up! How do you even do that?! How do you get SAYING HELLO wrong?! Uuugh, now this girl definitely hates you! Get it together, Oka Ramble!â Her internal voice chides her, once againâŚshe keeps her smile going as best she can, but a twitch of the eye escapes her self-control.Â
Sometimes, Noodle isnât the best at reading people- but she could tell right away that the girl is excessively nervous about this whole thing. For once, she actually took the concept of a âpersonal bubbleâ into mind as she leaned back from her curious glance on the tip of her toes.Â
She gave the stranger a quizzical glance as the moment of silence between them built up more and more, but decided it was best to keep her mouth shut until she was ready to talk. She reminded her of 2-D a bit- and sometimes he needed some extra time to gather his thoughts as well. She puts her hands behind her back, rocking back and forth with her ever-present smile plaster on her face.
âMagic? Oh! For real?!â there was no amount of disbelief in her voice; as she immediately believed what she was told. After all, when youâve fought zombies and reanimated gorillas, sheâs in no position to doubt it! âSo youâre like Del! He had all kinds of cool powers too! Okay, not with potions or rituals, but he could a lot!â
She gave out a laugh at the other girlâs comment on her own name. Wow- that was kind of strange, wasnât it? Then again, she couldnât say her name was that much more traditional either!
âMy name is Noodle! Itâs very nice to meet you, Oka!â
She started to bounce up and down on her feet, her mind already racing with other thoughts and questions now that basic introductions were out of the way.
âSo, so! What kind of stuff can you do? Del raised an entire army of Gorilla Zombies when I was little- can you do anything like that?âÂ