// coffee shop.

@jiho [ IM SORRY THIS REPLY IS A LIL BIT LATE IVE BEEN BUSY D: ]

Taekwoon hums in thought, wondering what the right response would be. It's definitely true that he does get a load of people asking about his breed and physical appearance, but he doesn't know how to be truthful without possibly making Jiho feel bad. He's pretty sure the other wouldn't be that sensitive, but he's made a habit of being cautious when meeting people for the first time because many experiences have proved that you just never really know. He knows that everyone has certain things they're sensitive about; just because someone acts cool and collected doesn't mean one can assume they don't have any weak points.

He's had quite a number of bad experiences due to his blunt nature when he was young and immature; Taekwoon's always had a bit of difficulty picking up on and caring about the emotions of others. Perhaps it was the cat in him, perhaps it was his personality, but whatever the reason, he's always been a little bit more insensitive than everyone else. There has been many a time where he's said or done something - albeit unintentional - that broke the relationship between him and a good friend.

However, due to the number of blunders he's made, Taekwoon's learned to be a little bit more sensitive to the needs of others, and although he still isn't great, it's definitely an improvement from his self 10 or so years ago.

So, when presented an opportunity to practice kindness, he takes it. "I do get asked that a bit here and there..." he trails off with a shrug. It's not an entirely truthful answer - yet not a complete lie either.

The bobtail stares curiously as the other makes a slicing motion with his hand in the air. "Is my tail...cut off? No, it just has kinks in it, so it looks really short and puffy." He's heard of some breeds of dogs, such as corgis, having their tails cut, but he couldn't imagine having to go through something like that. He imagines it would be quite horrible, having a tail and then suddenly having, well, less of one. But he's never had a full length tail, so he wouldn't know the feeling.

@jung taekwoon .
There's a thankful grin on his lips as Jiho accepts the drink passed over to him. A great portion of his energy had been pushed into classes just that day, the caffeine would certainly be a pleasant charge of strength. "Thanks," he greets, wrapping his hands around the glass drink and relishing in the coolness that wets his hands. And for a second, he lets the cool surface soak into his hands before bringing his lips onto the glass, taking his first sip, humming joyously to the taste. Most certainly, he had missed the taste of caffeine on his tongue. He takes in a second sip - more like gulp, his drink being cold and having no need to watch his tongue - before setting the glass on the table, wiping the precipitation from the cooled glass against his pant legs.

It had been a dumb question, Jiho admitted thus much. How would Taekwoon know how exactly genetics had pushed him to grow as he had. It wasn't as if he'd woken up one day, deciding the he would be as large as the large cats, rather than maintaining a smaller stature as the other domestic. And most certainly, the topic wasn't one that Jiho, of all people, ought to have bothered question about. He himself too had much about him unanswerable by either logic or science.

The fact was obvious, Woo Jiho was partial cheetah, but the long, deep stripe running down his back in a line of three says something else. It was odd how that worked, especially judging the factor his mother was anything but hybrid. Perhaps somewhere along his father's line, or deeper in the maternal tree, there had been another man just like him; but in the more visible sense, there was no answers to understand the unanswerable question. The questions ran beyond just so, tinkering out the short bursts of stamina the cheetah family had, with his impossibility to sit still and too easily pulled astray attention.

So to the answer, the cheetah hums, bobbing his head dumbly to the offer. His cheeks don't flush, not as they would have years back in childhood, at the embarrassment of asking such meaningless question, but the quiet snickering in his head is back. Jiho shoves it aside, tilting his head and making his voice loud to drown out the inner mocking. "Makes sense," it doesn't, but he prefers pretend it does. He nods again, pushing away the blond bangs that drop into his eyes. "Not that it's a bad thing. I mean, it's not much fun being all that normal anyways." Some things were just meant to be. "Must get a lot of people asking you 'bout this." It's an assumption. Had Jiho perhaps walked about with his shirt off and pants hanging too low at his hips, he would get an equal repetition of the question as well.

"So since you're a bobtail, is your tail," he trails the question off, motioning his last with a wave of his hand. Had the question been intrusive? Jiho's mind doesn't stray long on the worry, a stereotypical kitten curiosity returning the question back to his head. He'd heard of Taekwoon's breed before and seen a number online during his preliminary education, but never one in person. During earlier years of his childhood, Jiho had assumed them to have had their cuts cut off at young; he'd heard of it happening in dogs before, so why not in cats as well? Age had matured him in that sense, realizing no chopping off had been in the process of the shorter tail length, but he certainly couldn't imagine having such a shorter tail.

(BUT IT'S JUST /throws up everywhere. why can't I just be coherent in my writing sob)

@jiho [ I LIKE YOUR LONG REPLIES THOUGH!!! so much detail!!! ]

Taekwoon waits at the counter for their orders - one iced latte and one warm. The smell of coffee beans fills the air of the coffee shop and he can't help but purr a little, his stumpy tail wiggling back and forth with a blissful smile on his face. The smell of coffee has always been his favorite.

His orders are finally called and Taekwoon accepts them with a polite smile and bow. He carefully heads back to their table, grabbing two napkins along the way, and places Jiho's order in front of him. "One iced latte." He offers Jiho slightest of smiles and takes a seat on the opposite side of him.

"Ah...I guess I am pretty big for a house cat." Taekwoon's cheeks flush a light pink and he scratches his ear, which flicks as he does so. "I have no idea why. I guess it's just genetics," he says with a shrug. Taekwoon supposes that's the only reasonable explanation. His whole family is pretty large, and perhaps his height is a trait from the human DNA still inside of him.

Honestly, he has no idea how the animal counterpart thing works. He knows that he has a mix of both human and cat DNA inside of him, but he doesn't know how something like that could even be possible. He's tried searching for answers, but every explanation had left him insanely confused. (Biology is definitely not his forte. Neither is any kind of math or science class.) He doesn't understand why on Earth he was given cat ears and a tail - it seems like something a ed old man could only dream about.

@seokjin As she waited for Seokjin to arrive, Jieun worked on her new dance as her mind spun from the caffeine of the iced coffee that sat empty by her right arm. When the wolf heard her name, she looked up, her eyes scanning the coffee shop for the source of the familiar voice. Spotting the man, she smiled and waved him over as she pulled her earphone.
The girl inwardly sighed in relief when she saw him in dark jeans and a collared shirt. The worry of being overdressed had caused her focus to waver from her work every so often when a male passed by in a shorts and a t-shirt. Jieun's eyes had observed him briefly, but in that short second, she admired how well he was dressed.
When he apologized for taking so long, the wolf shook her head as her eyes darted to check the time. It was about one, but Jieun never noticed how fast time passed as she worked. "No, it's fine. Thanks for the book." She said, smiling brightly as she reached to take her textbook from him. When it was in her hands, she opened it briefly to check if it was hers before slipping it into her bag.
Instinctively, the wolf's hand reached out to grab her coffee that was settled next to her work, but only to find it already empty. She laughed at herself and nodded at his offer for more coffee. "I'll take a large black coffee." She said, before her stomach grumbled slightly in protest. Jieun frowned slightly before changing her drink. "Actually, I'll have a large coffee with one milk instead…"
As they sat back down, the girl looked back down into her notebook, trying to make a note of where she was so she could later resume her work. After making a quick side note in the borders, Jieun looked up and saw him looking at her. Before she could asked, he spoke, asking if she had any plans later today. Quickly glancing at her phone, the girl shook her head. "I'm free for the rest of the day, I hadn't planned anything later since it was one of my few free days." She explained, stretching her tense muscles slightly as she arched her back from an hour of sitting and writing.
Smiling, the girl leaned back into her chair and crossed her legs. "Did you have something you wanted to do?" Jieun asked vaguely as a sly little smile fluttered on her lips. "Maybe we could have some fun like last time…" She stated as images of the night by the river floated through her head, bringing a soft rumble of laughter from her chest. Then the wolf turned back to Seokjin and shrugged. "I'm honestly fine with anything I wouldn't mind doing anything with you." She said, before flushing slightly, realizing what she said. "I m-mean, l-like, I enjoy spending time with you." She continued quickly, trying to cover up her strange choice of words. Her words began to play with her mind, changing its meaning every time they ran through her head. Going from the innocent words, to a ual connotation, one that she felt dirty of thinking of. While the wolf could be innocent at times, no twenty one year old was completely innocent.
"Um, well, we could probably check out some places off campus." She said softly. "I actually haven't been off campus much since I've been here. I spent way too much time in the studio…" She admitted, laughing lightly. The wolf, in her second year, had only few campus a few times. Once, to buy some clothes at the mall back when she was a freshman. Other times, it was to grab some food at a nearby restaurant. And of course, going to the bar a few days ago with Seokjin. Jieun had never venturing off into other territories, keeping herself within her own self set boundaries within the school grounds. However, with company, the wolf could be close to invincible. And also because wandering around strange places was much fun with friends than alone.

@jung taekwoon .
All in all, Woo Jiho compromised of many different personas. There were parts of him, quiet and shy, hidden along the back traces of his mind, making mute comments along to the boy's actions, and then there were those more loud, active in their opinion - these were often what controlled the hybrid's actions. It didn't, however, change the fact there were still those mixed voices sounding in the corner of his mind, bugging and itching at him at whenever seemed necessarily.

And now, the voice reprimanded him for being quite so blunt.

It was in that second of pause that Jiho felt his nerves again bunch up. Maybe he could have worded that better, taken the low swing, instead of smashing through all possible subtle approaches - but that wouldn't have been much at all like him. Unknowingly, he let out a whisper of breath as the boy answered, though tensed, not sounded as there had been much offense to the question. That was good, very good.

Still with his elbows perched on the table, the hybrid had pushed his cheeks into his fists as he waited for the freshman to return after their order. He hummed now, acquiring the knowledge his wild cat inside had desperately craved, a queer guard lowering in the fact there was no particularly sour relation between the two of their animals - not that it even minded, with their human half more ruling over the beastly. It took him another pause, a second or two, before breaking out into a wide grin and chuckle. It was a relief, really, his inner cheetah spirit quieting down and slinking back into the low crevice of his mind.

He might have mentioned the more queer markings along his back, uncommon in his kind, but decided against voicing this, letting the smaller details pass without mention. "I'm a cheetah," he hummed, answering a question unasked. "But you could probably already guess that." It most certainly wasn't a difficult guess to make.

Despite being a large cat, the cheetah wasn't anything much to be admired for, in terms of strength. They ran, breaking a speed unreachable by those living, but had in place sacrificed a larger set of teeth for hunts. It was likely because of this, their kind was too often chased away by many of the other wild cats from their hunts in the wild. But Taekwoon was a cat, a house cat - Jiho's cheetah had nothing to worry about.

Still a grin wide on his lips, Jiho shrugged meekly, feeling his ear peek up in new found interest in the boy. "You're a cat," a domestic one at that, "but you're so..." How to put it- Jiho paused for a moment, head tilt and his tail curling a curious fashion in show of his mood. "Big?" The fact came out more as a question. He had seen a few cat hybrids around campus, but never one quite Taekwoon's height and stature. He might have just as well fooled Jiho, had he simply said that he were a wild cat, instead of a domestic.

(you're too kind sob. no no, never feel bad about that. i barf unnecessary words and don't ever know how quite to cut it down to make it sound coherent while shortening it so - /rolls in a corner and dies)

@jiho [ it's okay ♡ your reply is good!!! I feel bad bc my replies aren't ever nearly as long as yours are D: ]

"Ah, really? Thank you." Taekwoon's eyes crinkle into an eyesmile as the other seemingly checks over him another time, putting his worries to rest. However, he can't deny the fact that Jiho's gaze is quite intense; it's as if he is looking for something, something that isn't visible to the eye. Judging by Jiho's rather cat-like ears and large body shape, he guesses that he is some sort of big wild cat. He probably doesn't mean to seem that intense, Taekwoon thinks to himself, It's probably his counterpart's predatory instincts. That doesn't put him at ease, though. Although his counterpart is nowhere near as big of a cat as Jiho's probably is, he is still a hunter, and his counterpart in him makes him alert to any possible threats.

As Taekwoon waits in line, he fiddles with the hem of his shirt. He wonders what kind of miracle caused him to grow so big despite having the DNA of a tiny house cat. Perhaps it's just genetics? It's quite a burden, honestly; many people have often assumed him to be some large, strong, intimidating big cat. When they find out that he is nothing more than a pet cat, however, they often seem disappointed for some reason, as if his counterpart is even relevant to them. Ridiculous!

"Hey, what are you?" Jiho asks.

Taekwoon is quite caught off guard by the question. He blinks and stares at Jiho for a good second. "I'm...a Japanese bobtail. A house cat." Taekwoon tries his best to keep his voice steady and maintain a calm, relaxed exterior, but inside, his mind was racing. Had the pulling down of his shirt drawn attention to his seeming lack of tail? If Jiho had asked Taekwoon to turn around, would he laugh at his stubby excuse of a tail?

@jung taekwoon .
There's a tinge to guilt building at the corner of his gut, tugging in the irritable voice that scolded him for making the freshman feel quite so uncomfortable. He pulls on a smile and rolls a finger through the lower line of his bangs to push them out of his eyes. "It's nothing," he promises. Nothing but his animal begging for unnecessary answers; sometimes, Jiho hates having quite such a dominant animal spirit embedded in him - it's not often, but now is one of those times. "You're fine." Jiho laughs at the boy's worries, but does an exaggerated look over the freshman again, nodding again with a loose, hopefully more comforting, smile on his face. "Nothing on you."

He feels a sort bad for letting the boy pay for both their drinks - maybe he should have offered to dutch pay instead - and it's mentally that he notes to remember to call the freshman out for a drink sometime. It's not like him to worry about such, and Jiho decides to excuse the guilt as feeling pity on a poor freshman. "Yeah, I'll be here," pushing back the coiling of his stomach, Jiho waves off Taekwoon, debating against thanking the younger again for the drink. He could pay him back in else later. He seemed like a fair enough person, surely this wouldn't be their only time to meet.

Rolling the single looped strap of his back off of his shoulder, Jiho moved to make comfortable in the seat across from where Taekwoon had been seated. Leaving discard his bag - too empty to be a student supposedly still attending major classes - by the floor next to his seat, Jiho dropped an elbow onto the table, drifting his eyes back to where Taekwoon had gone to order.

And the question was back, bugging.

Jiho had almost assured himself that the freshman be a large cat, much like him. The eyes, ears, stood in clear distinction of such proof, but looking now, Jiho's ears twitched curiously in question. Where he'd expected a tail to hang, long and heavy, was not. He blinked. Had he coiled it around his waist? Some, though not too many, did so. He frowned, dropping his head against palm in question. Maybe he wasn't what Jiho thought him to be after all. Perhaps he had just thought wrong - but then what was he? Catching himself staring again - this time, somewhere he perhaps ought not to be caught - Jiho shook his head, closing his eyes and pressing coiled fists into them. He would simply just ask when Taekwoon returned; what would undo the curious questions that wouldn't go away.

"Hey, what are you?" And that's what he did, blunt and straight forward - the only way Jiho knew how to be - when the boy returned from placing their orders.

(lmao. we're special so we call it americano instead of calling it black. /dies in a corner. apparently a coffee shop can be determined good or bad depending on how tastey their americano is here. but i don't drink coffee so i wouldn't know. sorry this post is so much . /dies. i think i rp better while i'm in class and not supposed to be otl. i wanted to rewrite this but then my friend's coming rn and i don't want to wait until later tonight ene ///////)

@jiho [ americano sounds like american lmao. ahh wait I just looked it up and americano means american coffee ]

Taekwoon is a bit confused as Jiho brushes it off like it's nothing. He hopes it really isn't something major, but a part of him can't help but worry that it's because he's judging him or something. "Are you really sure it's okay?" he asks hesitantly. "If I have a stain on my shirt or a flyaway hair but you're afraid of making me feel embarrassed, just tell me, please. I'm sure I'd feel more humiliated with walking around all day looking like crap and finding out about it hours later." Taekwoon smiles sheepishly.

"Cold - got it." Taekwoon pulls out his wallet from his bag and counts out the approximate amount needed to pay for both of their drinks (internally crying as he does so). "Would you like to wait at the table while I order?" He's sure Jiho wouldn't wait in line with him - come on, they're not middle school girls - but he feels as though he should just ask anyway instead of abruptly leaving to order. Besides, he needs a bit of a breather. He feels his body stiffening as the conversation goes on and needs a while to collect his thoughts and come back fresh and less awkward.

As he turns around to wait in line, he instinctively pulls down his shirt to cover his lower back, where the very few vertebrae of his tail stick out. Most who see Taekwoon from the backside assume he is a rabbit due to his stumpy tail; however, when they see the pointed, obviously feline ears sticking out from the tufts of his hair, it causes a great deal of confusion. He has to explain that he's a Japanese Bobtail, and that the short tail is caused by a recessive gene, and no, it's not a skeletal disorder. Although it's not his fault, his tail is something he is insecure about, however, so he prefers to hide it.

@jung taekwoon .
It was a curious thing, their animal inclusion; if he had to admit, Jiho wouldn't hesitate to say that he hadn't a single clue how it worked. One day, he'd been as normal as the kid across the street, and the next, he'd grown a tail and ears to put, differentiating him from the others. And perhaps if it didn't show, he wouldn't have been quite so put off by it, starting a queer search for those more like him. But as it was, their traits showed, like a bright sign staring them in the face - he couldn't just ignore that.

That was why perhaps he was so captured by the freshman. It was almost like an unaware reaction to figure out who the boy was - friend or foe. Call it a remaining survival instinct, remaining over from his dulled wild spirit.

Caught in his act, Jiho gave a smile, a weak and sheepish one, accompanying the embarrassment of being caught with a nonchalant shrug he could hopefully just pass with. "Nah, no; it's nothing." How embarrassing; had he made the boy uncomfortable? That certainly hadn't been the affect that he had been looking for. Some mentor he was. No wonder his friends had laughed, when he'd mentioned he'd be taking a freshman under his wing. He shook his head - no, it was fine, whatever the boy was, it shouldn't matter any. Whether he was an animal friend or foe to his hybrid half, didn't matter anymore. This wasn't the wild, and competition for food and survival didn't exist as it did back out in the savanna.

He nodded, repeating his order with a second nod to the younger boy. Or, at least he was sure that was what he wanted. Coffee wasn't something that was a normality in Woo Jiho's list of drinks - energy drinks, perhaps, but coffee was left to a rare minimum, saved for dates and group projects when a drink was necessary to keep seat at the cafe. A latte had been what he had ordered the last time he had come to the cafe, he was sure. "Oh? Is it?" It came as a relief to know that he hadn't chosen something completely out of the ordinary. Jiho had enough to memorize without having to keep up with the ridiculous names of coffee. Regardless, his relief showed in the grin that pulled against his cheeks. "Cold." He never drank his liquids hot; not even during the winter.

There was a slight crease of his brows at the hesitation before the answer to his question. It had only been so long since the school had likely started for the freshman. It wasn't supposed to take so long to answer. Freshman, ones this early in the school year, were still much mystified by the workings of university, much different from the lives of their grade school. Jiho hummed, low under his breath, a breath out of relief, and a catch later, chuckling along to the little bells of Taekwoon's laugh. "That's good to hear." He had been almost afraid that something had already gone wrong - Jiho wasn't sure how well he would have been able to handle a problem, had there been one wronging the situation. "It's only so bad during exams," he could recall to his own first testing week; that had been a series of all-nighters he would never quite be able to forget. He laughed again. "It's not so bad. Freshman year is probably going to be the only time you'll ever be so free. Enjoy it while you can, but try not to drink yourself stupid until at least after midterms." This advice came from experience. Oh how stupid it had been, deciding to drink out the day before an important exam.

(i ... i know caramel frappuccino? lol my friend said it's not coffee so i tried it but - tasted like coffee. bleh. i also know.... americano? lol that's what everyone drinks here.)

@jiho [ SAME I only know the ones that everyone else knows like lattes and cappuccinos and espressos lmaoooo ]

Like a robot using x-ray vision, Taekwoon feels Jiho's gaze look at his body from top to bottom. He shifts uncomfortably; was Jiho simply trying to identify what kind of animal was, or was he somehow looking for something else? Jiho seemed to be nice so far, so there's no way he could be some kind of pickpocket, right? Or perhaps there was something on his clothes, an embarrassing stain of some sort? Shaking his doubts aside, Taekwoon figures that he's probably just letting his imagination run wild and decides to just ask. "Is something wrong...?"

"A…latte?" Taekwoon asks for verification. An immediate wave of relief washes over him and he exhales a breath he didn't even know he had been holding, eyes crinkling into little crescent moons. Somehow, the mention of his favorite drink brought a warmth to his chest, releasing the tension built up inside of him. "Those are my favorite. Would you like yours hot or iced?"

Taekwoon blinks in surprise when Jiho asks him a question about school. He bites his bottom lip as he considers how to answer, but truthfully, he feels as if it's still way too early in the school year to tell for sure. "Well..." he starts carefully. "So far, nothing's too stressful...but I'm not sure if I'll be able to say that if you ask me again later in the semester." A light laugh spills out from his lips.

@jung taekwoon .
It was only a human reaction to judge on first impressions. And even with half of him animal, Jiho couldn't stop himself from doing a quick look over the freshman, letting his eyes scan from top to bottom curiously. This Taekwoon, Jiho wasn't sure what exactly he was. His eyes said that the freshman was a feline, something in like to the senior himself. And judging his size, the boy ought to be a large cat, like Jiho himself. Perhaps the school hadn't simply just paired unlikely matches up, and gave at least a small attempt to putting some sort of relation.

He might have been staring, when broken out of his revere. Oh. The cheetah blinked, curious indeed. He had assumed that he would have to be the one to buy, being the senior and obvious older of the two. Certainly, Jiho hadn't expected the younger to offer - but he wasn't the sort to refuse a free drink. Curling a brow curiously to the offer, he gave a short nod. "I, uh, thanks." Was it normal in this coming generation to buy for others they didn't know? - Was he already as old that he should feel the generation gap between himself and those younger than him?

It didn't take a genius or rocket scientist to distinguish the heavy air hanging between the two newly met. Was it this tense in all senior-mentor meetings? Jiho supposed he much preferred his partner be the quieter sort than something more ecstatic. It was calm, Taekwoon seemed to give off a certain air of relaxation; and Jiho, he didn't hate it.

Returning the smile - he might have laughed at the tense curl of lips, had Taekwoon been a friend and not stranger - Jiho glanced over at the front, catching the small lettering on the menu. "I'll... ah- a latte," he paused, a beat, before turning back to Taekwoon, "thanks." Perhaps if this meeting went well, if he didn't end up having to force their next meetings, he would end up buying dinner in compensation. Maybe.

"So, uh, how's school so far?"

(this was difficult. i don't know coffee. they put me to sleep otl + writing on phone during class lol)

@jiho [ it's okay ^^ I had to go to sleep not too long after I sent the reply though so sorry about that D: ]

Hearing someone hesitantly call his name, Taekwoon's feline ears prick upwards towards the source of the sound and soon his gaze follows. In front of him stands someone who he assumes to be Jiho, as he looks quite similar to the ID picture on the paper he was clutching tightly in his hands, and the introduction the other gives him assures him of that. Taekwoon immediately feels his heart race as the fact that he is talking to his new mentor sinks in. "Y-yes, that's me. It's nice to meet you."

A moment of awkward silence hangs between them as Taekwoon contemplates whether or not to shake hands, but as the seconds tick by he realizes that the right moment to even give a handshake has long passed and so he just opts to somehow change the topic. "A drink would be nice...I could order for the both of us if you'd like." The words leave Taekwoon's lips before he has even had a chance to think, and he is surprised to hear them coming out of his own mouth. Usually he is quite frugal with his finances and is very hesitant to lend money to others, let alone pay for someone he's just met. However, it's too late to take back what he said. Hesitantly, he asks, "What would you like me to order?" Taekwoon tries his best to show Jiho a smile (he hopes that he doesn't look constipated from trying too hard), but internally, he is praying that Jiho's order is nice and simple...and most importantly, inexpensive.

@jung taekwoon .
Woo Jiho does not get along with others; this was a fact known well and through his smaller list of friends. As according to the characteristics of his hybrid other half, the feline preferred his list of connections be limited but deep, as compared to wide and shallow. This had perhaps been why a several question marks had popped to the cheetah's announcement that he would this semester take part in the senior-freshman mentor program. Putting aside the outstanding fact that Woo Jiho was in no way a mentor material, it was rare on its own to find the boy partake in group activity, never mind find him sharing air with a stranger. But Jiho knew exactly why he had signed up this year.

It wasn't exactly a secret to say that the feline had trouble keeping up in school. With his attention span short and selective, no one would have been surprised to find that the boy, reaching his senior year, was slacking in his credits collection. The only reason he had agreed to adopt a freshman, was of course, because of this.

The day of their first meeting, Jiho had finished classes with a low sigh hanging on his lips and a particularly difficult math theorem rotating his mind. Normally, he would have been quite more than overjoyed to rush out of class and into the awaiting - or not - arms of his friends, but today Jiho found himself lagging, lugging his bag on one shoulder as he fiddled through the folded paper crumpled in his jacket pocket. It was one obstacle after another.

He stood in front of the in-campus cafe door for at least a good minute, arriving at the spot of their meeting. Was his hair too messy? Should he have ought to try and look more decent, this being their first time actually seeing in person? The questions rocketed against his already cramping head, pulling a scowl on his already none-too-friendly outer appearance. It took him the whole of the minute to decide that it didn't matter to him, what some freshman thought he looked - because, face it, come senior year, they all looked like a train wreck. So pushing open the glass door, the cheetah stepped in, and surveying the area for the pale, dark haired boy in the pictures provided for him. It didn't take him too long, to find him, but oh; if first appearances meant anything, Jiho wouldn't have assumed the boy be a freshman - he'd thought the freshman class be more, for a lack of better words, fresh and bubbly. Or perhaps he was just being stereotypical.

Pushing aside the chirping voices in his head, Jiho stepped over toward the location of his supposed designated boy, pausing by the couch with his head tilt a curious angle and an attempt to at least seem not too hostile. "Are you," he paused, reaching back into his pocket to pull out his papers and compare face to paper as well as catch name, "Jung ... Taek... Taekwoon?" There was a pause in his words, hanging, unsure what exactly he was supposed to say next to continue the conversation - he'd never been in a position where he'd had to do so to a complete stranger. "I ... uh, hey, I'm Jiho." But he probably already knew that. "I ... do you ... do you, uh, want something to drink?"

(/rolls around. sorry this took a while - didn't realize our orientation would take so long. andthispostotli'msorry)

@jiho Taekwoon nervously walks in, tightly clutching a folded paper close to his chest. He slips into a table far into the corner of the shop, unfolding the paper and squinting at it in an attempt to read the tiny letters in the dim lighting. The sheet contains details about the senior freshman mentor program offered at this school, most of which he had already read through when he first signed up. He exhales lengthily; he is about to meet a fellow student at this school for the first time and hopes he can make a good first impression.

The paper contains some background information on his mentor as well as provide his name and ID picture. It says his mentor's name is Woo Jiho. Taekwoon studies his ID picture carefully. A pair of ears poke up from the ruffled hair, which seems to be differently colored in certain areas. Taekwoon wonders what kind of animal he is. As he waits for this so-called Woo Jiho to arrive, Taekwoon fidgets nervously in his seat as he tries to come up with a good way to greet his mentor when he arrives. Perhaps a handshake? Or would that be too formal? Should he ask to exchange phone numbers if their meeting goes well or would that be creepy?

Taekwoon doesn't even know why he signed up for the program in the first place. He's always had trouble opening up to people he doesn't know, so he has no idea why he thought signing up for this program was a good idea. He hangs his head in shame as negative thoughts and self-doubt swim around in his mind, anxiously waiting for his mentor to walk through the door.

@song jieun Seokjin sat up abruptly when he woke up, banging his head on a bookshelf on the wall next to his bed. He knew he should have moved it months ago... It was rather dark out, so he pulled his left wrist as close to his face as possible before squinting and reading out: "Five.... Five forty-five? Ah, what the -"
And he settled back down into bed.

At eleven o'clock, he was roused again, but this time it was by his roommate's going out and slamming the door as loudly as possible (for waking Seokjin had been the goal here, and it worked), and he dragged himself out of bed to at least attempt to be functional today. He sat down at his desk, taking a swig from a bottle of water sitting on the table and looking up as he did so and seeing the clock ticking away as usual. The clock. What time was it? What day of the week was it? What would he have to do today? No classes, right? Noon... Noon something, what was-
He thought about it, and then he got an answer, and promptly shot up from his seat like an arrow, immediately springing into action; he had to get ready. He was meeting Jieun today to return her book, he was meeting Jieun, he was meeting Jieun...
Formal or casual? Or semi-formal? Maybe a collared shirt. Or did that seem too businesslike and adult? A t-shirt? But what if she wore something nice and he just looked out of place and she thought he didn't care about her enough to worry about wearing the right clothes when they met? If he showed up in formal clothes and she was in sweatpants and a tank top, how fast could he run back to dorm?

Seokjin ended up stepping out of his dorm room at around half past twelve, in a collared plaid shirt (with a white t-shirt underneath, to undermine the formality a little) and some dark, semiformal-looking jeans. Not running shoes, but not dress shoes. Hopefully that would be nice enough/casual enough for their date...
Uh, meeting.
Yes.
Meeting.

And that was how he ended up rushing into the coffee shop at almost one in the afternoon, looking around for a minute before sliding into the seat across from Jieun, who was already there and waiting, looking down at a notebook with pen in hand and an earphone in one ear.
"Hey..." He looked up at her, smiling in the slightest, and held up her textbook. "Here it is! Sorry I took so long, I woke up kinda late..."
He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, finally looking up at her and realizing with a shot of relief that she had dressed similarly in formality levels to him. "Do you, uh, want me to get you something? How do you like your coffee?"

When they were both settled back down, Seokjin looked back at Jieun, the corner of his lip curling up involuntarily at the sight of her. She was pretty, and the dress matched her nicely. She also smelled good, if what was a thing, like something sweet and floral that he couldn't quite name. "So." He cleared his throat. "Have you got any plans for today? I'm free all day, but.." He didn't say it aloud, but.. could they spend a little more time together? Just hanging out? Maybe flirting? He silently hoped so. And maybe he'd have someone to call his at the end of the day. Week. Month. Year.
Just maybe.

@seokjin (2/2 I hope this works. Sorry for any mistakes >.<; )
Jieun woke up to her roommate's alarm that rang at 7:30. She groaned as her roommate apologized before running out of the room for her class. The wolf didn't have class later that day, but she might as well head to the studio for some practice before going to the coffee shop.
Pulling on a pair of black leggings and a white tank top, Jieun jogged to the studio to try the new choreography she had thought of the night before on the soccer field. After an hour of trying the choreography, the wolf headed back to her dorm for a shower to get rid of the sweat from practice.
Once she was out of the shower, Jieun stared into her closet, thinking of what to wear. Every time she thought about seeing Jin again, the wolf's hands reached for her dresses, but she would scold herself. "It's not a date, Jieun-ah." After a serious mental debate between jeans and a t-shirt, or a black skater dress, the wolf slipped into the dress and her black converses as she headed out.
At 12, the wolf entered the coffee shop with a notebook and pen in her arms. Taking a seat in a quieter corner of the shop, the girl ordered an iced coffee from a waitress before taking out her notebook, writing out the choreography she had just practiced as she listened to music on her phone.

@seokjin (1/2)
Waking up the next morning, Jieun rolled out of bed, barely awake from staying up so late the previous night as her alarm rang. "Stupid class…" The wolf groaned as she stood up and got ready for class. In a zombie-like manner, the wolf cleaned herself up and tossed her laptop in her bag, gathered her books in her arms as she ran out the door, or rather limped since she didn't have the energy to even attempt to jog as she headed out of the female dorms and towards the coffee shop, picking up her black coffee and a scone before darting off to her first class with a little more energy than before.
In the wolf's first class, anyone could tell Jieun didn't sleep. After the girl had set up a recorder on her phone to record the lecture, her head fell into her arms, her tail wrapping around herself, as she fell back asleep. The coffee had only managed to get the tired wolf to class and the empty coffee cup sat on her table with a crumpled piece of paper that previously held her breakfast.
The screeching of chairs against the floor nearly killed the wolf's sensitive ears as the lecture ended and Jieun darted up, her eyes snapping open as she woke up. ", I slept again…" The girl grumbled but shrugged. It was not the first time she'd slept in class. In fact, it had become a habit to sleep during class, and instead she would record the lectures and listen to them when she was more 'awake'.
Dragging herself out of the hall, the wolf trotted towards the dance studio for some practice. A small smile had rose to her lips as she was more awake now than a few minutes ago. Dance had that effect on her, and she didn't mind it.
Suddenly, Jieun found herself looking at the ground with her books on the floor like splashed paint. She started at it stupidly, not processing what had just happened. "Oh… Goodness." She exclaimed under her breath as she knelt down to help the man who had run into her, dropping both their books.
"Don't be, I wasn't looking either. I should have been more careful." Jieun said as she quickly gathered separate their things as fast as possible as the man seemed to be in a rush. Hearing her name, the wolf looked up and smiled as she greeted Seokjin. "Hey." She said, a soft laugh left her lips as she found amusement in their current situation. Remembering the kiss once again, the wolf flushed slightly and concentrated on picking up the books.
When all the books were off the ground, Jin immediately headed off, calling out to her as he rushed off. Still a bit stunned, the girl stood in the middle of the path with a light blush on her cheeks and a silly smile on her face.
Hearing someone clear their throat behind her, she spun around and spotted one of her classmates that she danced with. Mumbling a quick sorry, she darted off in the opposite direction of which the hedgehog had went, and headed for the studio.
Later that night, the wolf was sitting at her desk, making some notes on the recording of the earlier lecture that was playing from her laptop. It was only when her desk vibrated, that she noticed she had a missed call from an unknown number and a long text from the same number regarding missing books. Jieun picked up her phone curiously and re-read the text twice, wondering who sent the text.
"Ah, it's Seokjin." She said, laughing as she remember the collision during the afternoon. The wolf looked over to her pile of books and noticed her arts history book was missing. She grumbled to herself for not noticing her missing textbook earlier. Tapping quickly on her phone, she sent him a reply.
'It's Seokjin, right? XD I just realized I was missing my textbook after seeing your text. Oops!
Anyway, I'll be in the coffee shop tomorrow at around noon till three. So anytime during then, you can come by when it's convenient for you~'
After sending the text, the girl yawned slightly, tired from practice and the lack of sleep from the night before. She finished her work quickly and shut down her computer before going to bed.

[post deleted by owner]

@youngji He smiled before nodding his head. "Okay then. To Karaoke we go." HE replied before giving her the best eyesmile that he could manage.

@jinyoung "Yeah! Let's do it! It sounds like so much fun." Young-ji exclaimed, as she stood up to leave the cafe.

@youngji Jinyoung hummed softly. "How about we go off campus and go to Karaoke? Thats what friends like to do right? ANd I hear theres one off campus." He always wanted to try Karaoke but he never got the chance to because he was too afraid to ask people to come with him.

@jinyoung "Hmmm." Young-ji thought about it. She's mostly dominated their day so she thought it would be nice to let him choose what he wanted to do.

"Well, where do you want to go?" she asked.

@youngji Jinyoung laughed as he stood up. "It was pretty good." He replied, looking at the empty bowl. "For the ammount that I ate. Just not my style of desert." He frowned and shook his head. He then turned his attention back towards her. "Where do you want to go now then?"

@jinyoung "Yum!" she purred. She finished eating and wiped clean.

"That was the best desert EVER, Jin!" she said, reaching into her purse for tip. Young-ji put a twenty on the table and stood up.

"Let's bounce!" she suggested.

@youngji He laughaed as he finished all he could eat of the desert. He then pointed at the bowl, before looking at Youngji and giving her a smile. "Have at it then. the rest is all yours."

@jinyoung She shrugged. "More for me then!" she let small giggle escape her as he began to make a dent in her half of the bowl.

@youngji He nodde d his head as he ate more of it, but only a little at a time. "Yeah, I lik eit. But I don't think that I'd be able to eat a lot of it at one time.....it has an intresting texture and taste to it." Jinyoung replied wiht a small sigh.

@jinyoung "Aw, that'd okay. But do you like it?" she asked, eating another sweet spoonful.

@youngji "Sorry about that. If I ever had time I'd probably considered getting a pet of some sort." He replied with a small sigh. He watched as the waiter brought it over and thanked her polietly. He grabbed his spoon as he looked at the thing.

It looked pretty good but he was debating on if it looked really good and if he was feeling hungry to eat it or not. After a bit of waiting he tried it before his eyes widened at the taste. It was a bit interesting but it was okay.

@jinyoung "Awww okay." she pouted, but she understood Jin. Animals were alot of work. The coffee shop worker came over and put their giant Patbingsu dead and center. She gave them each a spoon and thanked them for coming.

"WOW!" she marveled, wielding her spoon. Young-ji scooped up a spoonful and put it into to taste it. She nodded with approval.

"It's gooood." she said.