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[ You know he has to give her a few extra spins for that. Nevermind that he isn't really that used to holding people up above his head, but at least it's Chizuru (and at least he does weight train). Her laughter is infectious, but Robby's own is distracted for as long as she's up, only coming out in small breaths until he finally brings her down--bumping close against him, not wanting her to tumble back if he were to try and drop her off anywhere else.

And then he's laughing, hands resting on her waist and his head tilted so he isn't doing so directly in front of Chizuru's face. But he does lean it back, saying as he does, mouth a widened grin: ]

That's a dance move too, you know.

[ You know. He's looking down at her, with the few inches he does still have over her, green eyes sparkling with fun and delight. ]

[ Maybe it's the slightly different context, or the slightly different contact, but Chizuru sure doesn't seem to mind being close to Robby in this moment, despite the fact that she's pretty much just as close here for a moment as she was when he first pulled her in a few minutes ago.

Right now she just seems comfortable. More than that, even. He laughs at her, smiles at her, and Chizuru smiles just as widely right back at him when he jokes at her like that. ]

Alright, but I think that one is a little beyond me. [ There's nothing self-depricating in it this time though. It's just a joke, as light as the one Robby just made, the smile seeming to rest on Chizuru's face as she says those words. ] I think I'll need to find some super strength before I can do that. Or, you know, switch bodies with you.

[ And end up having Robby's guns. Compared to the sticks Chizuru calls arms. ]

...You know, I don't think I wanna know if that can happen around here. [ Body swapping. Even if he would because....it would happen, let Robby live in ignorant bliss? It's more of a joke anyway, with the uncertain look in his eye but the smile on his face. Robby takes a step back though, giving them room, as comfortable as it is to be standing snug with a friend. ]

Alright, but how about I show you the basic couple's dance? You can go slow with it, or make it more fun.

[ And he says that latter part with a slight lilt, adding to the fun, riding on the good mood they have going. He raises up a hand in an imaginary hold, the other rounded around a back that isn't there. ]

Have you seen this one? Where people dance with their hands like this? Or this, [ he adds, showing his hands more snug around an imaginary neck. Or maybe waist, Chizuru?? ]

[ She shakes her head.

No, apparently this is entirely new terrain to her. Chizuru may have seen people dance back home, like she mentioned just earlier, but that definitely wasn't anything like that. ]

So.. in this case, you'd be putting your hand on my back..?

[ She says that like she's considering it. Thankfully it doesn't seem to bring the mood down as much as Chizuru's earlier startled reaction did. Here she's maybe just more imagining if it'd be too intimate to have someone's hand there...

.. but she thinks she could probably bear it. It's still very different from being pulled flush against him all of a sudden, after all. ]

Yeah- one hand on your back, and you can put one on my shoulder. Like this-?

[ He's saying that, but he doesn't rush his movements. One hand is held out for her to take it, a small, 'hold on? Yeah--just hold it' to get the easier part done. He'll then pat his own shoulder to where he wants her hand to go, and as for where his goes, it's nowhere scandalous. It's closer to her shoulder than the dip of her back, figuring it'd be the most comfortable place for her.

And unlike before, there's some space between them. Behold: the most basic of slow dancing positions, lite version. ]

Does this feel okay? [ Sure, it feels okay to Robby, but he's not the one with old-timey modesty here. He's not going to move onto the actual dance pattern until he's sure Chizuru's comfortable. ]

[ Chizuru doesn't seem to waffle much about doing this, at least. She takes his hand with little to no trouble, and it's not like putting her hand on Robby's shoulder is any harder - it's not exactly a scandalous thing, especially when they've been physically closer than that before.

She's the tiniest bit more nervous when his own hand moves, but when it just lands on her back like that, and he doesn't pull her closer - that last part perhaps being the most important part of all of this - Chizuru feels her heart growing at ease. ]

Yes.

[ It's how she can answer honestly. It shows too, since the girl is always so bad at hiding that she's bothered.. but there's no such thing showing up on her face right now. ]

It's easier when we're.. um, not so close. [ There's a tiny blush on her cheeks as she admits it - the last thing she'd want Robby to think is that she hates being close to him, when it was much more about the exact kind of closeness of a few moments ago.. ] So what do I do now?

[ Success! And hey, Robby will tuck that info in for later--he knows some moves that can keep them apart, but still be fun with partner dancing. It's fun, Robby finds, and maybe there's such a thing as inheriting qualities from your parents. ...or just a consequence of growing up around a dance-loving mom. ]

Okay, [ Robby says, smiling, pleased that they can do this. He steps back, mostly so he can make the space between them visible, nodding down. ] So an easy way of doing this is, you just sway. A lot of dancing's that, [ he adds in with a grin--he's been showing her a lot of that, hasn't he? But let him show her that, where his body leans left and right, left and right, his feet moving much slower. ] This is when you just want to move to the music, when everything's slow. You might have your hands around your partner's neck instead, or just loose on their waist.

It feels casual, right? [ Just a slow swing, nothing too engaging. Like a private space for the two of them, but nothing really intimate. ]

Yeah.

[ Her reaction starts the same as last time - just a small sound of confirmation, the easiest sort of reaction to give while her brain is still caught up in the rest of this. Trying to process it all, especially now she's trying to make her body move along with Robby's instructions as well to try out this form of dancing. Trying to listen to the song, and following the rhythm.. It doesn't necessarily come as easily to her as it may to some other people, but it's mostly just a case of getting used to all these new things. New forms of music, new ways of dancing..

Though it doesn't feel impossible to get used to it. It's just a matter of time and experience, Chizuru thinks. ]

Do you think this would be good enough? [ Apparently that's the main question still on her mind as she's considering all of this. ] I mean, no one would think this way of dancing is.. strange, right?

[ H-Help her out with your expert knowledge of modern dating and dancing, Robby!! Chizuru has no idea what these standards are like! Do people want the close grind instead? Because she'd sure prefer this, it's way more comfortable.. ]

No way, [ comes his answer, easy and encouraging. ] If the music's smooth and soft enough? Go with this. If it's got more of a beat, then hold hands like I showed you, do a fun twirl--or watch what everyone does for a while, and join in.

Remember when we went out with everyone? We should do that more. Get a few drinks, chat, and we'll practice. But no one's really watching what you do unless they're really bored.

[ Or you're putting on a show to rile them up on purpose. But who would do that?? ]

Or you want to put on a show, [ he adds--more of a joke, but the side of his mouth tugs up anyway, like a sly suggestion. ]

[ Chizuru lets out a short sound - it almost sounds like a whine. Like a bullied dog, even though she knows Robby doesn't mean it badly. It's more just that she imagines putting on a show in her head, and it's.. it's so much.. It's so embarrassing..

She would die on the spot. ]

No way!

[ She shakes her head, but doesn't let go of Robby. ]

Just being passable is good enough for me. If really no one would watch, or notice me.. That sounds like the best case scenario. [ Chizuru is a-okay with blending into the background. It's preferable, really. ] Are you saying that you like putting up a show with this, Robby?

[ He does seem to know a whole lot about dancing, so who knows.. Maybe he has, or he at least could if he tried. ]

I don't dance that much, [ not in public, anyway, ] but--

[ But there's a grin spreading on his face, an innocent look upward before he gives a faux-sheepish face to Chizuru. ]

Maybe me and Tory ruined a pair's big night by showing our dance moves.

[ No regrets, honestly. Eat it, Sam and Miguel. And while he isn't bothered about being judged, he'll add for context: ]

To be fair, it was a dance for teens the same age, and all we did was dance. Not our fault they cared so much we were there.

[ But they certainly enjoyed screwing with them for existing. How dare they. ]

[ Wow, Robby. Are you implying that you were, perhaps, a bad boy?

.. not that Chizuru even really thinks that much. It's hard for her to imagine what that was like, and how bad or not bad it was, when she completely lacks the cultural context for that sort of thing. He may as well be talking to her about his interactions with a bunch of intergalactic monkeys, and Chizuru would have understood just as little as she does now.

It might be the reason why she blinks at him, the look on her face mostly just confused. Like the lights are on, but there's no one home in there. ]

.. oh.

[ That small noise just confirms it, doesn't it. It's almost a little awkward, with how badly Chizuru's brain seems to process this while she's frozen up, still in their dancing position.. ]

Was that.. a bad thing? Or a good thing?

[ Apparently her brain has decided that she's not going to be able to figure it out, so it's just resorting to asking. It's not like she won't just 100% trust Robby's word, regardless of which answer he gives. ]

[ It's okay, this reaction works in Robby's favour--in that it's cute. ]

I had fun. It was a good thing to me and Tory.

[ Nevermind any exes who got salty at their presence. He could leave it at that, and Chizuru would surely still be confused but accept it, but with a pause, Robby decides: ]

Sometimes, people think something is all about them when it isn't. It was our exes who didn't like seeing us--like they had more right being there than either me or Tory.

[ ...they did him, but details. ]

They could have ignored us. But they have a habit of making everything about them.

[ Or, Sam, but why not drag Miguel there too. Like Robby cares. ]

All we did was dance.

[ Granted, all of this would make a lot more sense to Chizuru if she had any idea what being a modern teen is like.. Or what being a teen is like at all, really. It's hard to ever truly have had the teenage experience when you've basically been confined to one house all your life.

Not that Chizuru isn't trying though. She's trying her darnest to imagine this social situation Robby is talking about, but it's very likely that the mental image that ends up forming in her head is a little different than what actually happened..

.. especially since it also definitely paints Robby in a better light, considering her opinion on him. ]

Oh, well..

[ Do you hear that uncertain tone, Robby? It's Chizuru still trying to process all of this. And figure out what's appropriate to say here. ]

I'm glad you had fun. [ NAILED IT. Though it's true - even if she can't really imagine this particular scenario, she's always glad if Robby is having fun. ] All of that sounds really.. complicated though.

[ Her expression changes into one that's a little less confused and a little more apologetic. ]

That's not a strange thing to say, is it? [ Is this just one of those things that's totally normal to regular teens, but that's going completely over her head? Is she a weirdo now?? ]

[ Robby laughs; nothing full-throated, and not at Chizuru, but fun and amused. ]

Nah--it's good. You didn't have to deal with stuff like that on top of everything else going on through the war. [ ... ] But I guess it would've been better than one.

[ He guesses. ] I bet you would've been great in a school. Going to classes all day? Then you'd have to read books all the time.

[ And not just for your friend's book club. ]

[ Is the karate war truly better than actual real war? More at eleven.

But for now Chizuru drops their dancing, especially when it seems that they've moved on to topics that she needs to think a little bit more about.. Instead she wanders over towards the couch, sitting down on there and - almost playfully, just a touch - patting the spot on the couch besides her to coax Robby into coming over and sitting down as well. ]

Is that what school is like?

[ You think Chizuru has any idea? It's not like they even had a lot of formalized education where she came from in the first place, let alone for girls who spent most of their lives in complete hiding.. ]

Do you just read books all day? You have to tell me, Robby! [ Because she's curious now! And he certainly knows a lot more about this topic than her. ]

[ Okay, they can have a break from dancing (he still needs to show her the slow dance couple moves though!), a quick grin at the couch patting, but Robby being a good boy and coming over. Yes, yes, he's sitting down. He leans back in his seat, fingers stitched between each other. ]

Why don't you find out? Gaze's got a school. [ But, he'll be nice: ] It's the same kind of idea: you have a teacher who goes through a subject, and you learn something new about it. So--take cooking. If you start at the beginning, you talk about the basic utensils, and what you use for cooking. A stove, an oven... ...I didn't actually learn cooking in school. But you get the idea?

[ Ah, but: ] You can get books on subjects, but the teacher would hand them out if you needed them. 'Til you get to college--then you need to buy them.

I can't just walk into a school..!

[ Listen to her. Chizuru sounds so scandalized. Even with how little she knows about schools, she feels like it's not just a place one can waltz onto. One does not simply walk into ~~Mordor~~ a school!

But she does pipe down again enough to listen to Robby's explanation, considering she is very genuinely interested in hearing it - or she wouldn't have asked. She nods along when he asks if she got it, since the explanation is pretty clear to her.

Though.. ]

Then what did you learn in school, if you didn't learn cooking? Is that where you learned karate?

[ Clearly this is Robby's #1 life skill in Chizuru's mind now. B-But he just looks so cool doing it, okay! ]

[ Chizuru.... ]

No, no-- [ He really wants to correct her on that first assumption, but ok, start from the last first. ] I got into karate outside of school. School doesn't teach it, you play sports like football or rugby. I'll explain another time. [ Right, he shouldn't have used two examples she wouldn't know.

Regardless! ] Anyway, you have physical education--exercise--, literacy, which is writing, science, mathematics, history, religion, language, anddd art. Which for me was a free period.

[ Who takes art seriously. ]

And, unlike my highschool, you [ said with a light poke to Chizuru's upper chest! ] can walk on in. There's no register--people can show up and go whenever they want.

[ Honestly, the idea of karate school was very valid and normal to Chizuru.. Especially since the only kind of 'schooling' she is even slightly familiar with is the way people train in swordfighting in dojos..

But apparently this is a very different kind of school after all. Chizuru tries to imagine what it must have been like as Robby describes it, but it all feels kind of overwhelming. Not even in a bad way necessarily, it's just.. a lot to imagine. They taught all that at a school? That's so much? D-Did they teach it at the same time?

Is Robby an artistic genius, so art class did nothing for him?!

Chizuru has so many questions. It's probably obvious with the way she stares at the boy, even as he reaches out to poke her like that. Her gaze is so busy, like there's so much happening inside of that little head. ]

Then.. [ .. hold on, she's still processing. ] Why don't you go there now, Robby..? Or did you learn everything already?

[ Chizuru actually sounds like she'd believe that, as long as he said so. ]

[ Okay, that gets a small 'hah' out of Robby. He starts ticking off his fingers. ]

'Cause I've got dojo with Mister LaRusso, staff training with another guy, Saeri teaches me magic writing, Sensei Sasuke teaches me chakra, and Misses Uchiha is helping me more about warmblood and healing.

Oh yeah, [ oh yeah, ] and Viktor's teaching me a bunch of stuff, and then you help me with cooking, too. I have to fit my life around all that. The magic studying and outside training takes up a bunch of my time already.

[ Without adding school into the mix...sorry school. ]

[ Sure, she already knew about some of the activities Robby is listing, either because she's directly witnessed them or her friend has told her about them already..

.. but with him just going on and on, Chizuru's eyes grow wider and wider. At first it seems like it might just be awe in the face of everything Robby is learning here, but there does seem to be a slightly different edge to it when Chizuru speaks up again. ]

W-Wait! [ Her voice is almost a squeak, and she reaches out to put a hand on top of Robby's own, eyes filled with concern. ] Are you sure you have time to just be here with me then?!

[ P-Please, how could Robby have time to teach her some dancing and talk to her when he has so much else do!! She's taking up his valuable time!! ]

[ Chizuru.

Chizuru.

Please. ]

Chizuru. [ Robby can't help the laugh this time, short as it is, but still wide and brimming on his face when he stops- ] I don't do everything every day! I space it out! Viktor's busy with the blood research anyway, so mostly I read for that? I visit most people like 2 or 3 times a week.

[ See? Doesn't sound so scary when you put it like that! Maybe... ]

A lot of it, I've gotta do myself. That's the best way I learn. And the best part about it? I get to choose my breaks.

[ And he can even go and see a Chizuru, as a treat. ]

But that's still so much..!

[ Sorry, Robby. Apparently a Chizuru's mind isn't changed that easily - she's still awed over this sheer list of activities. It doesn't help that she's thinking of all of them as separate things, which makes it sure seem like more than she ever did back home.. despite the fact that she was basically constantly working around the Shinsengumi compound back home.

But, you know, when has comparing herself to others ever gone well for Chizuru, right. ]

You shouldn't stretch yourself too thin, Robby..! I know you're really smart, and really amazing, and that you of all people probably could be learning so much all at once.. [ Yes, she had to add that in. She doesn't want Robby to think she's saying he's incapable, she's just-- just a little bit worried--!! ] But I wouldn't want you to overwhelm yourself!

[ The girl quickly shakes her head. ]

If we ever need to spend less time together so you have more time for everything else, I'd understand..!

[ Only god knows how Chizuru arrives at this idea, of all things. The inner workings of her mind are a total mystery. Or maybe it's just that she always defaults to shoving herself and her own needs aside, no matter how much she likes spending time with Robby. ]

[ Maybe Robby needs to show his loose timetable to Chizuru? That might help here. But instead, he can't help but watch her overreaction despite his efforts to already reassure her, and the two times she's panicked over them spending time together... ]

If I didn't know any better, [ he then has to remark, ] I'd think you were trying to get out of hanging out with me.

[ Robby knows this is only going to fluster Chizuru more, but doesn't he deserve a treat? He'll do the reassurance game a second time, but for now, he's sitting with an appropriate lean, looking at her thoughtfully as if to silently ask, Is there something you want to tell me?

Well, Chizuru?? Has this been an elaborate plan to get less Robby ~~tags~~? ]

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