They Say Stay In Your Lane, Boy

[Sun-Ming Jheon]

Make Fiends with him. Or don't come home.

The words were written clearly in the letter, the only words that mattered to Sun-Ming as she made her way to breakfast. If the Mahotoukoro student was honest, she wasn't hungry. She had originally dressed in her uniform, white button up covered by a blue sweater, to go read letters. Her owl, Mohohan, had brought back a letter already from home it seemed, and while normally the dark haired woman was jubulent, lately the letters had been more and more involved with her love life. Or lack there of. It hadn't been long since her parents announced that she was to be married off to some man with influential parents - and Sunny had been mortified to say the least, for a laundry list of reasons.

The main, and only reason in her mind that mattered, was that she didn't know this boy. Ren - she knew his name, and she knew what he looked like, but what was his favorite color? Did he like elephants? or squirrels? Was he her age - was he secretly an alien?! Sunny knew nothing. The petite student held her books tightly to her chest for her class in magic theory and history, wishing to be buried in eight years worth of homework rather than to have to talk to her fiance - her stranger, unknown, favorite color-less fiance. Another sigh escaped from Sunny's pouting lips but the woman prevailed in her quest, and made her way to the breakfast area where she spotted him. It was now or nothing. Approaching, and with an accent that was definitely indicative of her South Korean heritage, she greeted in Japanese. "Good morning, Ren." Then she looked at the seat. "May I have breakfast with you?"

(Note that Mohohan means Fluffy

 

[Ren Yukimura]

Ren loathed Mahotoukoro for many reasons. The culture shock was one and the change in uniform and expectations was another. Though the most prominent reasons he loathed the school were the reasons he transferred, that he was forced to leave his friends at Ilvermorny and move to a new country for nothing more than to spend his spare time with a 'fiance' he knew no better than one of the strangers next to him and who he had no care to know better. He hoped every morning that it was all a bad dream he would soon wake up from, or a prank at the hands of his friends from Ilvermorny that would come undone sooner or later so Ren could return to his old life in America, with his old friends, old responsibilities and old expectations that were focused on school and nothing else. Where he could be a fifteen year old without a care in the world and his love life was non-existent at best.

But of course that was an all too optimistic thought to be in Ren's reality and that day was like every other in his semester. Instead of being given a sliver of hope that his life wasn't real and the path leading to his future wasn't entirely out of his control, he was meant to attend breakfast and begin another day as a quiet, dedicated Mahotoukoro student. And attend breakfast he did, although reluctantly. It was in the midst of eating breakfast when none other than this 'fiance' herself approached him, wishing him a good morning and asking kindly to sit with him as he ate. As far as Ren was concerned, Sun-Ming was a nobody and he intended to keep it that way. If not to rebel against his parents, to keep him in the phase of denial that this arranged marriage fiasco wasn't happening. But as he sat there eating he realized there was no way he could escape interacting with the girl. He sighed, nodding in response and waiting for her to sit before asking "What do you want?" In an exasperated tone. Ren didn't want to be rude to Sun-Ming as it was the fault of their families and not her that put him in such an annoying situation but he couldn't help it. His frustration at the way his life had changed so dramatically was too much for him to keep it from showing.​

 

[Sun-Ming Jheon]

The Korean girl waited patiently for a response, and eagerly plopped onto the seat next to him. There, she talked to him. Did that count? Her parent surely would ask questions though, and if she lied to them they would know - or they would catch her in that lie. Sunny sat facing forward, not wanting to look at him quite yet, and nearly visibly flinched at the tone he used. The students almond eyes turned toward the table and she stayed silent for a minute. She wanted to go to class and pretend like she didn't have to marry someone the minute she was an adult - she wanted to be a kid instead of growing up. Her stomach grumbled slightly. She also wanted some food.

Sunny grabbed an apple and held it, staring at the vague reflection she held in it's red skin. "What color do you like best?" She asked in a quiet tone. If she knew one thing she felt like the conversation could end there and she'd not have to speak much more. Because if her parents asked she could tell him that was all she really remembered from the conversations they'd had.

 

[Ren Yukimura]

Sun-Ming had interrupted his breakfast and didn't even bother to speak immediately after sitting down next to him. She was not only wasting his time, but hers as well so he frowned as he paused his movements, heavily dropping his spoon in his bowl of cereal and looking to her expectantly as if she were some sort of idiot because as far as Ren knew, she was an idiot. Someone that interrupted what was a peaceful morning for him to do nothing but sit in silence. It made no sense so the Japanese American bit his lip to keep from yelling at her as he continued to wait for her to do something besides stare at her reflection in an apple. He wondered if this was a habit of hers, or if it was a side affect of being nervous but either way it annoyed him more. He tapped his fingers impatiently against the table top.

When she finally spoke he rolled his eyes at the question as it was as stupid as he thought and equally as pointless. His fingers halted their tapping as he spoke, tone patronizing. "What colour do I like best?" He said. "You came all the way over here to ask what colour I like best?" It was as stupid as it all sounded and Ren held back the urge to blink dramatically in that moment to wake himself up as there was no way in Merlin's name he could have actually been forced into an arranged marriage with someone so bland, unoriginal and predictable. He at least hoped to have a 'fiance' that was more interesting than a brick wall but that was evidently too much for him to ask for. "Are you seriously so stupid, that the first question you ask me is my favourite colour? and not how we should be trying to get out of this marriage?!"​

 

[Sun-Ming Jheon]

When her question was repeated to her, Sun-Ming gave an earnest nod of her head and smiled, only to have the smile quickly wiped from her features. Instead it was replaced with a furrowing of her brow, lower lip jutted out. Sunny's deep brown orbs turned toward the table, and her hands sat in her line of sight where she picked at her manicure. Her mother insisted she always have one - since it was presentable. Made her look delicate. Sunny did not want to be delicate.

"I-I'm sorry..." She apologized quietly, feeling her face flush a bright crimson in both embarrassment and slight anger - anger she'd never let manifest. "Mother said i should try and know you better... I just... Thought I would break the ice." The girl's dark bangs covered her eyes, where over-emotional tears welled but did not spill. Did he not think she wanted out of this marriage - but there was no way her mother would let her out. His family was successful, merging them would only heighten the success her parents held.

 

[Ren Yukimura]

Every second Ren spent in that interaction with Sun-Ming was another second of anger forming in his veins, causing his blood to boil. At the situation and his adamant denial there was a situation to begin with. He wanted to be out of the arranged marriage, to be out of Mahoutokoro, out of Japan and out of whatever nightmare this was so he could return to his old life where he was happy and carefree. Where he could spend his entire day taking photos without the burden of marrying some stupid, annoying as all hell stranger that wanted nothing more than to 'break the ice' with him. A pointless act considering that all Ren wanted was to get out of the marriage, not get along with Sun-Ming and conform to what was going to happen.

The fourth year noticed the girl's eyes watering, but he couldn't have cared less and instead continued responding, allowing his anger to justify his actions for him. "There's no point!" He shouted, eliciting reactions from the students sitting around them, blatantly causing a scene but Ren didn't think it mattered in a country and school he was adamant about leaving. "I don't want to know you and I'm not going to know you! I'm getting out of this as soon as I figure out a way. So if you know what's good for you, you'll leave me alone." His final words were barely above a whisper as he stood up, pushing his half-eaten bowl of cereal away from him and gathering his belongings so he could leave.​

 

[Sun-Ming Jheon]

Sun-Ming couldn't hide her jumpy reaction. When he shouted - drawing attention to them - the girl shrunk back in her seat. Her face heated to a scarlet color, embarrassed that he had yelled at her, and blaming herself for the fact that he even yelled in the first place. Sunny's eyes were pointed at the ground and she waited until he was done speaking to even look back up. He was just calmly packing his things away. Sunny, with bottom lip stuck out watched until he was finished. "I don't know a way out. I thought it would be better if we at least knew each other. I'm sorry." She whispered to him, her eyes filling slowly with teardrops.

 

[Ren Yukimura]

At this point Ren was fuming and the last thing he wanted was to prolong his interaction with his fiance. She was clearly an idiot with no recollection of the way social interaction should work nor with any sense of dignity if she was conforming to such a horrible marriage arrangement so easily. The mere thought of that and sun-ming's continued apologies caused Ren's frown to deepen as he shook his head and distracted himself from yelling at her again while he continued stuffing what was left of his belongings in his backpack. She was clearly too dumb to see logic even when it was yelled in her face. When the bag was full Ren slid one of the straps over his shoulder and slid his camera strap on the other as he said "Stop apologizing. It makes you look like more of an idiot." in a much quieter and calmer tone than moments ago. He then used that as a queue to leave and continue on with his day, attempting to dismiss that interaction entirely as well as sun-ming's existence as it was as ridiculous and unbelievable as her stupidity.
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