Noel balanced the mountain of books in her arms while searching for her keys in her cluttered pockets. Finally locating the panda-chain decorated key, she slipped it into the lock and bumped the door open with her hips, sighing when her books were knocked free. Her eyes drifted to her roommate's side and she sighed again upon beholding the disaster, unsure how Makoto managed to make a complete mess when she and Tsubaki had tidied the room just yesterday. Pillows, sheets, blankets, and various other linens littered the carpet as if a tornado struck. The desk Makoto did her homework at overflowed with crumpled papers mixed with documents from the previous semester and empty bags of chips and sweets. Noel loved Makoto with all her heart but couldn't stand it when her friend refused to clean up after herself. They had discussed this several times but the girl didn't budge, always using her tail to avoid scoldings.

Scooping up her books, she dumped the bane of her existence on her neatly made bed. The moment Noel sat down the door burst open. The bang elicited a frightened cry, the still-swinging door barely missing Makoto as she sprang into the room. How could she have all this energy yet constantly fall asleep in class? Heh, now she sounded like Tsubaki.

Makoto boasted a mature figure, almost no extra fat, most of her weight centered in her bust that made Noel feel just a teensy bit inadequate. She wore a close-fitting pecan short sleeve shirt and equally tight jeans, highlighting her developed form. Chestnut eyes alight with joy locked onto Noel, lips curled into a bright smile. Just like the first day Noel arrived on campus to find her room in disarray Makoto nearly crushed her in her arms, giving Noel no opportunity to berate her. "We're gonna have so much fun!" she recalled the beastkin exclaiming, and how she was both astonished and afraid of the energy she exuded.

As Noel acclimated to Makoto's ability to make everyone happy, the shy country girl praised the college for assigning them to the same dorm room. Makoto eased the fears she harbored attending this school: the isolation, not fitting in. Not that she was part of the in-crowd to begin with, but together with Makoto and Tsubaki she felt like she belonged somewhere, unlike back home where bullying was the norm for her. However, Makoto liking her surprised Noel most of all. Makoto ignored their contrasting personalities to show her around and be friends anyway. Noel was reserved, shy, meek, afraid of new things, and wanted to remain in her little bubble. Makoto was outgoing, always smiling, confident, fun, and full of adventure. She was determined to break Noel out of her shell and had made significant progress. She wasn't holed up in her room all day anymore, so that was an improvement from a semster ago when attending classes with other kids gave her anxiety attacks.

"Hellooo Noellers! Boy do I have stories for you!"

"You can tell them after you clean this room up," Noel said.

"Aw, I thought my cuddling would work."

Noel giggled. "Not this time. We just cleaned, and I almost tripped on one of your shirts."

"I was in a rush this morning, cut me some slack! Hm?" Makoto took note of Noel's slouched form. "What's wrong Noelle? Uh-oh, did you forget your homework again? Wait, was someone bullying you?! Tell me their names!"

Noel waved her hands. "N-no, nothing like that!"

Makoto immediately calmed and plunked down beside her. "Geez, say that sooner. Okay, so what has you all bummed out?" She brought Noel's head into her lap.

"I'm just a little tired." Noel happily took Makoto's tail when offered. "The professors are giving more work than I can handle, so I'm burnt out. I'm just glad the weekend is here…"

"Oh, you just reminded me! There's gonna be a party in the Crest building tonight and we HAVE to go!"

"I don't know about that… I have so much homework to do," Noel replied, whimpering as Makoto yanked on her cheek.

"Oooh no, don't pull that homework crap on me Noellers. I'm not gonna spend another year trying to get you out into the world! December is fast approaching, and you haven't gone to a single party. You're going willingly, and you are gonna have a great time!" With a "humph" Makoto released her cheek, Noel rubbing it. "But I'm serious, you're rowing to be an adult, you can't close yourself off from the world—it's not healthy."

Noel knew anything she said would be pointless; Makoto almost always got her way. Besides, she was way too tired to argue and wasn't in the mood to clean up the mess tonight. Maybe a change of pace would help alleviate her stress? Noel sat up. "You're right, maybe I should go."

Makoto blinked owlishly at the submission. "I am? I-I mean, of course!" She jumped up and bounced on the balls of her feet. "That's the spirit, Noel! Now, we've got four hours to get ready and it takes an hour to get to the mall… If we take the express, we could cut down on at least ten minutes. No, it's weekend so—" Noel blanked out Makoto's planning, curious how she could get so calculating when it came to her own shenanigans but couldn't apply an ounce of that intellect in class. Tsubaki had mentioned that several times and now Noel desired that same answer.

Makoto dove into her overflowing closet, clothes falling off their hangers and littering the ground as she searched for something less skimpy for Noel to wear. While she didn't mind showing off a little skin, Noel's clothes concealed most if not all of hers. She didn't want her friend to fade into the background, endeavoring to have her make some friends and maybe score a boyfriend. As cute as she was, anytime a guy attempted to make a move on her Noel either literally ran away or curled up into a ball. That shyness attracted a few guys as did her long blond hair complementing her innocent jade eyes. She couldn't deny that most of the guys who hit on her were creeps, but a handful were pretty charming and relatively normal.

"Noel, with my extraordinary fashion sense you're gonna look AMAZING!" Makoto pulled several outfits from her closet and laid them on the bed.

"Am I going to have to try on all of these?"

"Yep! You'll look like a treat when I'm done with you!" Makoto promised.

Noel tugged self-consciously at her clothes while following Makoto to the frat house where music boomed from. She felt awkward wearing a white sleeveless shirt that exposed her entire back and stomach, and although her legs were shielded by stockings the skirt was far too short. Apparently Makoto procured this outfit at a sale a few months ago, but the bust was a little too small for her and she intended to pass it along. Just hearing her chest was too big for the top dredged up her insecurities. "I think I'm exposing too much…" Noel said.

"No you're not," Makoto returned. "Don't be so nervous, you look fantastic!"

"I feel uncomfortable."

"Listen, I've been trying to get you to be more sociable for an entire year with little results. I'm going to succeed tonight, trust me. If you make even one friend, I'll tell you the secret of increasing your bust." Noel tailed her up the stairs, filled with newfound determination. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as a few guys sitting along the steps whistled appreciatively at them. They made it past a few more smiling at them outside the door, discomfort crawling along her skin as she averted her gaze.

Alcohol was being passed around and Makoto eagerly took a cup that drifted by her, Noel having no interest in taking even a sip. Makoto wouldn't have allowed her anyway since she couldn't hold her liquor at all. Noel had gotten drunk off her first and only cup last year, vomiting all over the place. Makoto would be damned if she lost another outfit this year. She guided Noel through the crowded foyer and toward a side room, furniture and such pushed aside to provide dancing space for partygoers. Couples and friends packed the area, music shaking the house as conversations entered her ears as nonsense. Ten minutes in and Noel could already feel a headache coming on.

"Noel! Makoto!" Both girls gasped when Tsubaki appeared at their side and were quick to hug the redhead. Unlike Makoto who oozed unbelievable enthusiasm, Tsubaki radiated confidence and poise. Her cream dress clung to her slender curves, long scarlet hair blow-dried and stretching down her back. "I'm not shocked to see Makoto, but what are you doing here Noel?"

"Makoto dragged me."

"Nuh-uh! I brought you, not dragged. And I could say the same to you, Tsubaki. What's Miss Student Council assistant prez doing here? Every time I try to get you out you're busy with work." A grin appeared when a certain blonde caught her eye. "Oh, I see, you finally worked up the nerve to ask him on a date, huh?"

Tsubaki blushed. "N-no, it isn't like that. Jin told me he was attending, and I didn't have much to do, so I… came along."

"In short, you're stalking him," Makoto stated dryly.

"No! I'm not stalking him!"

"Then what do you call following someone without their knowledge to a party and just observing them from a distance?" Makoto questioned. Tsubaki just looked down and blushed harder.

Noel laughed. "I'm sure Tsubaki is planning something."

"Well she better act fast," Makoto pointed to Jin, "because a bunch of girls are surrounding the poor guy—" Before she could finish Tsubaki was off, Makoto met with "really?" glare from Noel. "She needed some incentive. And since Jin is all alone, Tsubaki can talk to him without worry of being interfered with. Now time to do some scouting!"

Just like that Makoto went off, leaving Noel to her own devices. For an hour Noel wandered the large frat house, hoping to get some fun out of this night by dancing, but the constant approaches by men made that impossible. Having about enough of that, Noel exited the home fearing she would melt from the heat or her head would explode from the noise.

Hastily she maneuvered past the crowd and ignored the small group of guys who hollered for her, relieved that they didn't pursue. Even from outside she could feel the shockwaves of the music, swearing she almost toppled a few times making her way to the far side of the lawn. Some people gathered beneath the trees to converse among friends, others were making out, and one injudicious couple was having sex against the house. Noel plopped down under a tree, stretched her legs out, and awed at the abundance of stars overhead.

"Dammit, what a waste of time," Ragna groaned, pushing his way past colleagues gathered by the stairs, ignoring the swears and glares he received. He wasn't in the mood to party and sure as shit wasn't in the mood to knock a drunkard's teeth loose. The only reason he attended was to relieve some stress after a long, tiring week.

"Where're you going?" Ragna acknowledged Kagura's voice, the dark-haired playboy panting slightly. "You just got here, and you haven't even taken a sip of alcohol yet. Ease up, live a little. Maybe pick up a girl." He shoved a plastic cup into Ragna's hand.

Ragna sighed and took a drink. "Thanks."

"C'mon, fix that face, bro! Plenty of babes here tonight. Even a sap like you can score one or two, right?" Kagura laughed and gave his bud a few slaps on the back. Ragna growled as beer sloshed onto his hand, then wiped it before downing the cup in one go, surprising Kagura since he wasn't too much of a drinker. "Want another?"

"Nah, I'm alright for now. Just need some fresh air… You know I'm not good with crowds and noise."

"I know, and I appreciate you tagging along. College is supposed to be the apex of a man's life, and you can't experience that in your room. Porn can only help a man so much and we are still in November." Kagura took his cup.

"Piss off, I'm not that hung up. I can actually control myself. Now mind leaving me alone? I want some time to myself."

"All right, all right killjoy… You do you." Kagura waved and disappeared into the crowds, leaving Ragna to do as he pleased. He proceeded down the small hill to the far side of the frat house and did his best to avoid the obvious fucking going on behind him, leaning against the only tree on the eastern side and gasping when he saw Noel, who mimicked his reaction.

"When did you get here?" Ragna demanded.

"I-I've been here the whole time. I'm sorry, I'll go," Noel quickly explained.

"Nah, you were here first. I'll find another place to chill until the party's over."

"Is there anywhere else, though?"

Ragna considered his options. "Guess not. You don't mind, do you?"

Noel shook her head. "I don't."

Ragn noted the blonde shaking, confident the wind wasn't the cause. "I'll move, it's okay. I don't want to make you feel awkward or anything. If you're worried I'm trying to put the moves on ya, don't, I'm not."

Noel felt mildly relieved hearing that, calming somewhat. A little bold, Noel asked, "What's your name?"

"Uh, Ragna."

His name rung a bell. "Oh! You're the Student Council President's older brother! The one who keeps getting into trouble!"

"That's what I'm famous for?" He laughed. "So, what's your name?" Ragna certainly wasn't a conversationalist, but he had nothing better to do and this girl didn't seem like the type to come onto him like the other fifteen or so hazed by liquor, so why not?

"Noel."

"Noel? I think I've heard Kagura pass your name by me a few times… You took Bio with Ms. Litchi last year, right?" Noel nodded. "Figured. Says you helped him past his finals. Should've let the bastard fail," he joked.

Noel tittered. "He helped me before, so I returned the favor. Are you and Kagura friends?"

"Was against my will, but yeah." Ragna remembered his first week attending this hellhole of a school, sharing a dorm with Kagura. At first glance he resembled some delinquent but it didn't take them too long to click despite his outgoing attitude being in stark contrast to his reclusive, anti-social behavior. "Kinda like tonight. Rather be in my room, but here I am wasting my day off. What a pain in the ass."

Noel could relate somewhat. She also would rather be in her room online shopping or writing poems; partying just wasn't her thing. How people attended these on a weekly basis and never grew bored amazed her, but not as much as her holding a conversation without Makoto or Tsubaki at her back. Realizing those two weren't around prompted the meek Noel to scoot away, the action noticed by Ragna.

"You doin' okay? Your face is all red."

"You're the first person I've really spoken too aside from Makoto and Tsubaki, so I'm a little nervous and I don't want to bore you. Besides I'm just… not good dealing with people. They make me anxious."

Ragna nodded, understanding. "I see." He straightened off the bark and stretched in place. "Well, I'm going home. Had about enough of this crap."

"C-can I come?" Noel managed. "Makoto won't be leaving until midnight and I'm a little…"

"Scared to go home yourself?" Ragna laughed. "What're you, five?"

"D-don't make fun of me!" Noel whined.

"Fine, fine. The girls dorm is a stone's throw away from the boys, anyway. Doesn't take me outta my way much."

"Noel! There you are!" came Makoto's voice. "Whatcha doin' over here? I searched everywhere for you. You had me worried sick." A coy grin appeared when she noticed Ragna. "And who're you, Handsome? Single, I hope."

Ragna was tentative to respond under her heated stare. "Ragna."

"You're Ragna?! The delinquent older brother of Jin Kisaragi?! That Ragna?!"

"...Is that seriously the first that comes to mind when people hear my name?"

Noel let out a nervous laugh. "More or… less."

"You did leave quite the impression by getting into that massive fight with the hockey team. Tsubaki can never forget the amount of work she and Jin had to go through that day," Makoto laughed.

Ragna scoffed. "Wasn't my fault, they provoked me. Not that it matters. So, Noel, you comin' or what?"

"Hm? Where are you going, Noellers? Home?" Makoto asked.

"Yes. Sorry, I just don't feel up to all this."

Makoto smiled. "Don't worry about a thing, Noelle! You just get back safe and sound and I'll be there soon. Leave your key under the mat, okay? I kiiinda left mine home." Makoto looked to Ragna. "Get her home safely."

"Gotcha."

"Jeez, Makoto, I'm not a baby," she protested.

"I know, I'm just worried." Makoto gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading off. "And don't do anything I would do!" she shouted before immersing herself in the crowd, rousing a blush from Noel.

The implication wasn't lost on Ragna. "She seems like fun," he commented dryly, starting off with Noel.

"Makoto is! She's my best friend!" Noel pushed away the awkward feeling of being alone with a man and ignored Makoto's comment to have a normal chat. For once she found someone who just wanted to talk, not woo her or try to kiss her. During the walk to the girls dorm Noel found a few similarities aside from their introverted nature, Ragna himself stunned when Noel revealed herself to be a fan of rock and used to play guitar back in elementary. She was so engaged in the conversation that she hadn't realized she reached her dorm room until Ragna informed her, a little saddened they had to part ways. But before she opened the door to call it a night, Noel did something she never thought she'd do. "D-do you… have a phone?"

"Uh, yeah?"

Noel took hers out and thrust it toward him. "C-can I please get your number?! P-please?"

"My number? We just met and I wouldn't listen to everything that girl tells you."

"W-what?! N-no, that's not what I meant!" Noel pouted when he chuckled.

"Sorry, just busting your chops. You just wanna chat?"

"Yes. I um, want to have you in my contacts to um... talk to sometimes. So can I please have it? Please?" Noel felt her heart stop when he took her phone. "This means I can text you, right? Anytime?"

"You have my number, so yeah. Just don't piss me off to a point where I block you," he joked, meaning it despite the jest.

Noel smiled. "I'll try. Goodnight!" She bowed, leaving the key underneath the mat before locking the door again. Through her window she watched Ragna vanish into the night. Not only had she walked home with a guy but got his number, too. Noel fell back on her bed as the weight crashed down on her like a ton of bricks. She opened her phone and scrolled through her contacts, unable to come to terms with it. This couldn't be real, that didn't just happen… but there it was. "Ragna" right under "R".

You may have deduced from the description (perhaps not) this story here has no laid out plot or general direction, just a bunch of one-shots loosely tied together to form a "plot" as the characters actions themselves determine what the story will be and its progression, so I'll be writing off the seat of my pants, in a way. Each chapter focuses on a pairing or a group of characters. I'd rather not overload myself working on a cast of anywhere over six, that's just too much for me.

As you can see as well, the setting is pretty generic. Done a thousand times, probably another thousand more. I'm not for writing outlandish or cataclysmic plots, just normal, every day stuff. Oh, dismiss the title. I couldn't think of a good one. This won't be like that series. *shivers* Update wise, too, this'll be impulsive. I'll update when an idea hits me, so those who are expecting quick updates, that depends solely on if an idea pops up.

Do keep in mind my desire for pointers. As you can tell from the writing, I am rather amateur. Grammatical mistakes, sentence structure - anything would be greatly appreciated. If you don't like something, don't be nervous or worried or anything to go ahead and say it. Review box is right there and I'll try to get back to you, both good and bad, in a timely manner.

Big shout out to Wild Blue Sonder for Beta reading my work, and to TheThotAudit for introducing me.