To Become PV Alyss Gilmour & Lev Makarov

Alyss glanced up at Lev, eyes large with worry. “Huh? No, it’s not your fault!” she sniffled “I just- I really want to be your guys’ friend but- don’t you hate me now? Because I just started going on and on?” Alyss asked, clearly confused. She actually sounded more confused than sad now, which was an improvement. “My mom calls it talking people’s ears off.” She added, trying to make it make more sense to them. Because it’s just what happened, right?

Now, Alyss didn’t know what to think. She slowly lowered her knees from her chest and hastily wiped at a few stray tears that had leaked through. Looking at Lev and seeing his almost scared face at her tears, she started giggling a little bit.

“I’m okay Lev, don’t worry.” she reassured him, patting him on the shoulder for a change. Pulling herself together, she faced the other boy. Ari? That’s what he had said his name was? ”Nice to meet you, Ari, sorry about..” Alyss trailed off for a second, thinking over her next words. ”..That.”

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out some chapstick, and applied to her dried out lips, though mostly to buy herself time, as she didn’t really know what to do. The atmosphere felt more awkward than before, all because she acted too quickly and had a mood swing.

Those happened to Alyss sometimes. Her mom said it had to do with “growing up” and “becoming a young woman” but Alyss just found them annoying. She just wanted them to go away. Like before this started, sure, she’d get overwhelmed sometimes. But she would never start crying in front of two complete strangers. The only thing she knew about them was their name, for goodness sake!

Alyss was kind of scared for how Ari in particular would respond. He seemed like he really didn’t like the two, which she guessed made sense, but it wasn’t her fault she got curious about the music! Lev, too it seemed got dragged into the compartment, so he had even less of a choice than Alyss! So couldn’t he at the very least be nice to Lev? Oh, that’s right. He didn’t know why or how the two ended up here. He probably made the assumption that both of them invaded his space when in fact, it was just Alyss.

“Sorry for walking in on your music, I admit I got a little curious. But Lev didn’t do anything wrong! He was forced in here because the train was about to leave and he was just standing in the aisle.” Alyss told him stubbornly, as if he could read her anger at him for being mad at Lev through her thoughts. Spoiler: he couldn’t. And he had no reason to.

Date:	Sept 1st
Dialogue:	#011d57

Lev’s eyes widened as he started shaking his head. “No no no! You’re not a bother at all!” He looked down. “I don’t mind if you talk a lot.” It’s not like he had anything interesting to say. He’d only mess up terribly and make everyone hate him. Although it seemed like he’d already succeeded.

Lev glanced in Ari’s direction now. He looked so mad and annoyed. Was it because they’d interrupted his playing? Lev felt like he should apologize, but at the same time he felt like Ari would dislike him even more if he kept bothering him, so Lev decided to keep silent, staying focused on Alyss.

The girl seemed happier now. Lev didn’t know what he’d done, but she was even laughing a bit. He tensed up when she touched his shoulder, but didn’t push her away, instead allowing a small smile to appear on his face. A grimace was more accurate; due to the scars, his face was a lot more stiff and it could make his expressions look odd. Lev caught sight of himself in the reflection of the window and immediately stopped smiling. He didn’t want to scare Alyss.

She’d been so nice to him up until now. Lev knew it was only out of pity, but it still felt nice. And now she was even defending him, saying it wasn’t his fault he’d interrupted Ari’s playing. Lev almost felt bad at how nice she was being.

“No..” Lev suddenly spoke out, his voice quiet. “It’s both our faults Alyss. Please don’t take all the blame.” The boy took a deep breath, gathering all of his courage as he turned to Ari. “I-I also apologize for interrupting you..” It was scary talking to Ari, but Lev felt like it was his duty. Alyss had supported him, so he wanted to support her in return. Sure, he’d practically whispered his apology and he hadn’t even maintained eye contact, but at least it was something.

@Ari Morozov,@Alyss Gilmour

Date	Sept 1st
Outfit	XXXXX
EN/FR/RU	#oeac77/#008080/#6495ed

Staring blankly at the booth, it was almost like Ari was in his own world. He was preoccupied with the thought of what the school held for him. Perhaps he was overthinking, but how on earth was he supposed to defend himself against anyone who found an enemy in him, especially if they belonged to a higher year? It was thoughts similar to these that left him in a rather cautious state of mind. In the midst of his daydreaming he yawned, covering his mouth with his hand by habit as he did so.

Through his thoughts, he was able to hear a little chatter between the other two, but he didn't bother to pay enough attention to actually listen along. Yet, he did catch two rather frustrated apologies from Alyss that were directed toward him. This only raised his confusion more, and even though she stated what she was apologizing for, not once did he find dissaproval in what either of them had done.

After all, they were both looking for a compartment to enter, most likely without want to cause any harm.

But, he didn't know why she would be mad at him either; he didn't want to be presented with an opportunity for his previous thought to manifest. However not evident in his expression, in the little time that the three of them had met each other, Ari had admired one thing about the others: they were willing to support each other when all they knew were names. But he did notice one thing: Lev would need much more support if he were to enforce his confidence with something other then wet paper.

Before Ari knew it, he was hit with a much more gentle and passive apology, predictably from Lev, its innocence easing him more than he'd ever like to admit. Once more did he question their reasons for apologizing, as they did not interupt his music. He became tempted to ask what they were truely apologizing for, especially when anger directed toward either of them hadn't crossed his mind once since he recognized their presence in the compartment.

Finally, he looked over at the pair and asked his lurking question, sunlight sparkling in his eyes "What are you both apologizing for?"

@Alyss Gilmour, @Lev Makarov

Alyss gazed at Lev thoughtfully. This boy was being so kind to her, even though they had just met. Not only had he tried to comfort her, but she also watched as he apologized. As if he had anything to apologize for. Sending a smile his way, Alyss straightened in her seat. Yes, she had been slouching. Not much, but enough that it was kind of noticeable.

It was then that Ari threw a wrench in what Alyss had thought to be good judgement of emotion. He asked what they he been apologizing for. Alyss was confused. Didn’t he dislike the two? Because they sat in on his performance without his permission, meant for his own ears only? As Alyss questioned this, she shot a quick glance at Lev as well, trying to judge his reaction to this as well. She wasn’t able to glean much from the look, and turned back towards Ari, face scrunched in confusion.

“Because we walked in on you playing? And you clearly weren’t very pleased with our sudden appearance. I mean, no ‘hi’, ‘what’s your name’, ‘how are you’. Just a ‘what did you think?’” Alyss explained in a quizzical tone, eyes trailing from Ari’s face, to his ukulele case, to her hands that she was twisting together.

“So we were just saying sorry for interrupting you. Is that not what you were annoyed about?” Alyss asked, as she thought about their entire interaction, going over in her head what he could be ticked off about. If it wasn’t the interruption, then what was it? Was it her questions? Lev’s habit of not making much eye contact? How talkative she was? Was it that they were taking up too much room in the compartment?

Gazing around, she saw that she was taking up very little room, maybe her luggage a little larger than Ari’s, but he also had a ukulele. So if it was that, then he was decidedly blind or ignorant. As Alyss searched for the problem she must have been causing, she paused and stopped, telling herself to listen to Ari’s response. That was the only way she would know the problem, if he told her.

Date:	Sept 1st
Dialogue:	#011d57

“Huh?” Lev stared at Ari in confusion. How could he not know what they were apologizing for? Lev could think of a million things he’d done wrong since entering the compartment. Usually people didn’t care to much about his supposed errors, but Ari had seemed so annoyed by him and Alyss.

“A b-bunch of stuff! I entered the compartment without saying hi, I suck at eye contact, I’ve been an awkward mess and most of all, I interrupted your playing of the ukulele!” Lev’s voice progressively go shakier and shakier as he spoke. He was desperately trying to stop the tears from falling. It was only the first day, he couldn’t cry. No less in front of his future classmates.

Lev wiped at his eyes and bit his lip as he looked away from both Ari and Alyss, looking at his knees. “T-This is all my fault.” He looked at Alyss. “I’m sure he’s not mad at you.. You’re so cool.”

Lev hated himself so much in this moment. He imagined that without him here, Ari and Alyss would have gotten along just fine. His presence was always a bother; someone you needed to watch for, make sure you didn’t accidentally upset by saying something insensitive. And even without that, he was a social disaster that would make anyone uncomfortable.

@Ari Morozov,@Alyss Gilmour

Date	Sept 1st
Outfit	XXXXX
EN/FR/RU	#oeac77/#008080/#6495ed

Despite their prior explanations, Ari would be lying if he said he wasn't finding any amusement in the fact that they both managed to find reasons to apologize, when he, himself, couldn't. As he continued to think about it, he realized that he had inadvertently led both of them to shame themselves and forced them to confess their wrongdoings, even though he had initially failed to see them. However, he refrained from apologizing due to the likelihood that either of them would comprehend his reasons without explaination, something he did not feel like doing.

"I was just..." Replying to Alyss, he paused for a moment looking for the right words "...caught off guard. It didn't seem like you had much of a choice either; I was lucky to find an empty compartment. Plus, if I randomly heard music, I'd be attracted to the compartment, too."

Next, Lev spoke, his voice sounded shakey and like he was about to cry. Ari couldn't help but feel bad for him, however, he wasn't an emotional person, and had no idea how to comfort others; he left that for Alyss, since the two of them seemed closer to each other than Ari, anyways. However, there was a nagging in his stomach that urged him to apologize to them or somehow make it up, especially towards Lev.

After a few seconds, he responded, "Why would I be mad at either of you? I barely know your names. But, neither of you interrupted me; I only noticed you both after I finished the song. And besides, I don't really mind who listens to my music, its not like I'm bad at playing or singing." He explain further.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. Bending down to reach and open his ukelele case, he grabbed out his journal. Inside the book, was written each song he knew how to play, one per page.

"Look." He sighed, sliding the journal to the pair, "Thats the journal that holds each song I know how to play. I'll let you both choose a song in it for me to play. Take it as an apology."

@Alyss Gilmour, @Lev Makarov
Listen of songs given OOC as well as IC, list will be added to ency in the future

Alyss was dumbfounded. Flabbergasted. And any other word you can come up with to say an absolute state of shock. Ari had just said that not only had he not been mad- and never had been- but also offered his apology in the form of their choice of a song.

Turning to Lev with the journal of songs held up for the two of them, it was then that she remembered his tearful apology and the actual tears that had slid down his face. Scrambling, Alyss wiped the shock off her face in an instant, and reached into her pocket for a tissue.. only to find none.

She wanted to offer him a hug, but didn’t really know how he’d take that. She offered anyways, opening her arms to him, giving him the option to take the hug or not. “Could I.. hug you? That is, do you want a hug?” She asked hesitantly.

Still holding the journal with the song options, she quickly placed it down on the table in front of them, and turned her attention back to Lev.

“This is not all your fault, and don’t you dare think otherwise.” She said fiercely, maintaining eye contact with him. “And just because you’re here doesn’t mean he-“ She paused to indicate Ari with a jerk of her head. “-finds me, or you for that matter, any less cool.” She spoke clearly and confidently, ensuring that her point got across. It might have been a little too much, but she had to make sure Lev knew her thoughts and feelings.

She’d had her fair share of misunderstandings in the past, and this time she was not losing these friends. To do that, she had to be clear that the tall and awkward boy sitting next to her was at no fault for anything.

“He even just said that he’s not mad at either of us. Even though it wouldn’t matter either way, but you can’t be sorry about doing something that he’s not even mad about.” She had said this to remind herself as much as him, but saying it out loud made it feel more real, and she hoped it would be the same for Lev.

Date:	Sept 1st
Dialogue:	#011d57

“You.. You weren’t mad at me?” Lev felt his face redden as he looked down at the journal Ari had just pulled out. He suddenly felt very stupid. His older brother always told him he was too self-deprecating and overthought too much. Lev had disagreed, but maybe it really was the case..

The tall boy’s features seemed to lighten a bit. It didn’t matter that he was overly-critical; he was just happy that one of the first people he met didn’t hate his guts. Now he just had to keep it that way.. Lev felt his stomach tighten at that though; he really didn’t believe in his ability to do so.

The first step would be to maybe stop being so awkward! So Lev looked up, wanting to choose a song from the journal, only to find Alyss holding said journal with her arms extended towards him.

“Uuhhh…” Lev stared at the girl for a good minute, unsure how to respond. His face heated up even more when she mentioned hugging him and he looked away from her and down at his hands. “Sure…” He eventually answered hesitantly, waiting for her to approach him. He didn’t want to mess this up. He couldn’t.

But instead, Alyss started to lecture him with the most confident attitude he’d ever seen from the girl. She was almost terrifying with her firm voice and fierce look.

He didn’t agree with her. He was a loser and even if Ari wasn’t mad at him, he had still acted like an idiot. And still was. Lev just wished he could be more confident and that this stupid feeling would just go away and let him stop overthinking and being weird. He wouldn’t say all of that to Alyss, of course. Lev had the feeling she’d bite his head off if he tried doing so.

Instead, he just nodded along to everything she was saying, his eyes avoiding hers and instead moving back to the journal she had abandoned.

Lev squinted, looking at the options.

@Ari Morozov,@Alyss Gilmour

Date	Sept 1st
Outfit	XXXXX
EN/FR/RU	#oeac77/#008080/#6495ed

Upon observing both of their reactions, Ari could see he had done something that almost forced them to think that he was mad at the pair. The main thing that the boy had suspected was his "What did you think?" instead of a "Hello" or a "How are you?" when he discovered their presence in the compartment, like Alyss had mentioned earlier. This was especially significant considering the less-than-friendly tone he had used. Even so, he had hoped that a second song would lead them to forgiveness as easily it leads him to his ocean.

While he looked for his ukulele case under the desk, he heard Alyss ask one the two boys for a hug, and for a second, Ari genuinely thought she was talking to him. However, only a few seconds later he became infinitely glad that he hadn't said anything, as it was revealed that she was talking to Lev instead.

After her question, Lev spoke. Thankfully, the question was directed towards Ari.

"Never was." He verified once more for the taller boy, in a softer whisper, as if his voice was about to trail away.

Soon after, Alyss began to speak again, given a speech of reassurance toward Lev. Ari began to think he shouldn't have offered to play a song for them, as they seemed to need a few minutes to themselves as she continued to justify Lev's reasons for apology. However, the thought quickly dissipated as the two paid more attention to the journal.

As Ari listened to her speak, there was a thought of which was born from Alyss' seemingly disregarding gesture of indentification toward him. His overthinking took the gesture as one that was meant to label him as an outsider or like someone who wasn't a part of the original friend group. But, as his mind started to tempt him to bring attention to the issue, he decided not to enhance the scars that had previously been inflicted upon their chances of friendship. Besides, the moment was about Lev, not him; who was he to confront her about the matter when someone else was clearly suffering more than he was?

According to Ari, this self-imposed role of being an outsider was shaped from his lack of extroversion. He wasn't the type to seek out friendships, only stumbling upon them by the whims of chance. However, Ari did often wish that he could bring himself to be a more extroverted and outgoing person, perhaps similar to the daydreamt version of himself where he was socially confident and fearless.

Maybe from his ocean he could seek solace from everything that burdened his mind.

@Alyss Gilmour, @Lev Makarov

Alyss gave Lev a pat on the back before pulling away, a smile on her face. She made sure that Lev had listened, and once she was sure, she turned back towards Ari, clapping her hands together.

”Okay, you said a song?” She spoke, diverting the attention back to Ari and the journal. Reaching for the journal, and flipping through. She flashed a grin up at Ari over the journal, thankful he had apologized and that they had misjudged him.

As she looked, you could tell when a song caught her interest, because her entire face would react. Eyebrows would twitch, sometimes even raise, smile would grow, and eyes would crinkle with happiness.

As she went through, she pointed out the songs she liked and knew to Lev in a soft murmur, giving personal comments about them. ”I like this one, but only really the chorus. I think it’s kinda funny.” Alyss told him, pointing at “La Da Dee” flipping right past “Cafe in LA” because “That’s about the states, right? Never heard of it. Have you?”

She paused at “Double Take”, humming the melody for a few moments. “That’s a good one. Not really my first choice, but I like it.” She looked to Lev and sometimes Ari after speaking her opinions, waiting to see if they aligned with theirs.

“I think I want Count On Me. Is that okay? What about you, Lev?” She said, eyes flicking between the journal, Ari’s face and reaction, as well as Lev’s. She wanted to make sure that they would be okay with that song too.