halfdarkened (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
halfdarkened) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
itsjustagamerp2012-11-22 01:08 am
halfdarkened) wrote in itsjustagamerp2012-11-22 01:08 am
Expressions
Characters: Namine, Riku
Content: Picture convos leading to a meet up. Riku reveals his feelings.
Location: Their rooms, Nature Deck.
Time of Day: Varies/Evening
Warnings: Riku's drawing.
Riku found himself satisfied with the replies he’d drawn and sat back a moment to look at them. But there was something else he needed to draw. He pulled out another sheet and placed it on the desk.
He stared at the blank sheet for quite some time. What would he draw? This was a delicate subject. It had been on his mind since Rarity was kind enough to alter his clothes. It had been the second time she’d suggested he hook up with Namine, and Riku had been about to give the same reply that he had before he left the SoL: that she didn’t have a heart. How could he get involved with anyone who couldn’t love him back?
But that was just it. In light of recent events, she very likely did have a heart after all. Rarity had pegged it, and Riku admitted to the pony he liked Namine. However, it was only during that conversation that he’d put two and two together and found that she probably could love him back. Now it was a matter of how to address it.
After his long pause, Riku picked up a pencil again and got back to work. Rarity was right. They did need to talk.
The last picture he drew was in-fact several on one page. The first was him speaking with Rarity. The word bubble from her featured him and Namine talking. The next picture was him and her talking on the nature deck. He’d drawn a picture of a calendar with tomorrow’s date circled and a clock that read 8:30. Given the scene of the two was at night, it must have been PM.
Riku found himself at Namine’s door, not really remembering the walk over. He stared at her door for a long time, pages in hand. Finally, he asked himself what he was afraid of. The meeting itself didn't. If she wasn’t interested, that didn’t change much did it? Life would go on, and he liked her too much to lose her as a friend. The other option was to never know, and he knew his curiosity would eat at him.
He slipped the papers under with resolve, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and went back to his room.
Content: Picture convos leading to a meet up. Riku reveals his feelings.
Location: Their rooms, Nature Deck.
Time of Day: Varies/Evening
Warnings: Riku's drawing.
Riku found himself satisfied with the replies he’d drawn and sat back a moment to look at them. But there was something else he needed to draw. He pulled out another sheet and placed it on the desk.
He stared at the blank sheet for quite some time. What would he draw? This was a delicate subject. It had been on his mind since Rarity was kind enough to alter his clothes. It had been the second time she’d suggested he hook up with Namine, and Riku had been about to give the same reply that he had before he left the SoL: that she didn’t have a heart. How could he get involved with anyone who couldn’t love him back?
But that was just it. In light of recent events, she very likely did have a heart after all. Rarity had pegged it, and Riku admitted to the pony he liked Namine. However, it was only during that conversation that he’d put two and two together and found that she probably could love him back. Now it was a matter of how to address it.
After his long pause, Riku picked up a pencil again and got back to work. Rarity was right. They did need to talk.
The last picture he drew was in-fact several on one page. The first was him speaking with Rarity. The word bubble from her featured him and Namine talking. The next picture was him and her talking on the nature deck. He’d drawn a picture of a calendar with tomorrow’s date circled and a clock that read 8:30. Given the scene of the two was at night, it must have been PM.
Riku found himself at Namine’s door, not really remembering the walk over. He stared at her door for a long time, pages in hand. Finally, he asked himself what he was afraid of. The meeting itself didn't. If she wasn’t interested, that didn’t change much did it? Life would go on, and he liked her too much to lose her as a friend. The other option was to never know, and he knew his curiosity would eat at him.
He slipped the papers under with resolve, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and went back to his room.
no subject
The first two alleviated any concerns she'd had. They were simply responses to what she'd drawn. From the first, it looked as if he'd understood that she'd been hearing the basilisk, and wanted to give her a hint as to how he'd found it. Unable to think of anything else to 'say' on that subject, she added the drawing to her picture wall and focused on the other two.
The picture about her attention to detail made her smile. Yes, she did, but that could sometimes be a disadvantage. For her response, she drew a line down a piece of paper. In the left half, she drew a picture of herself wrapping a bandage around his arm, while he looked on somewhat patiently. In the right half, she drew essentially the same picture, but he looked annoyed. A clock showed that half an hour had gone by as she tried to get the bandage just right according to the directions in the little book she was looking at.
It was the last picture that proved to be confusing. Riku wanted to meet? What could Rarity have said that prompted that? Not that she minded meeting in person, but he'd never asked before. They'd somehow silently chosen to communicate this way even though they could meet any time. Their picture conversations were probably some of the only truly private conversations on the satellite, and she liked that. It was nice to have something like this just for them.
It was probably important if he wanted to speak to her directly, not through pictures. Her response was simply her version of a picture of the two of them talking on the Nature Deck, with the date and time written as a confirmation. She'd be there.
She delivered the pictures, and went about her day as normally as possible. The thought nagged at the back of her mind, though, distracting her.
no subject
Riku was in his room when he heard the pages come slipping under the door. He almost got up from his chair to go meet with her, but here wasn't the place to discuss the matter. Instead he just stared at the pages on the floor until he hear her faint footsteps fade. He got up to check them. The fact there were only two bothered him until he realized she simply had no more to say on the subject of one. The confirmation was a relief, but it meant he needed to hurry up. He looked back to his desk, littered with more scrapped drawings than usual. He'd been working very hard on the drawing on the desk, but it wasn't quite finished yet. His routine today had been demolished by this drawing, which he'd started the night before. There wasn't time to reply to Namine before they met up, so he put them to the side of his desk and went back to work.
. . .
The clock read 8:20. Riku folded the picture carefully and put it in a small pouch attached to the sash of his pirate garb. It had no pockets, as it was quite similar to his Renaissance Festival attire. Along with the belt was a white sash, and his sleeves had been torn. Much of his outfit was scuffed, ripped, or stained, though his clothes were in fact clean. Though held in place with the belt and sash, his vest was otherwise worn open. He'd tried a hat, but he couldn't find anything he liked. To match his attire, this week his sideburns were growing out a little as well as a small goatee at the very bottom of his chin. That being said, Riku's facial hair never did grow very fast, and the goatee was almost short enough to be stubble. This was his decision, but he questioned it. Would she prefer him clean-shaven like he usually was? ...It was probably too late to do much about it, and it was something easily fixed if she didn't like it. He still ran a finger along his upper lip to make sure his mustache was at least shaved.
He made it to the nature deck with time to spare. His outfit wasn't the only thing that reflected the week. The Nature Deck looked a little like a bayou, complete with some water. He sat down on a fallen tree near the edge of the water to wait. Riku watched as the fireflies reflected off the tranquil water. His hand instinctively jerked a bit when he felt something tickle his knuckle. Looking down, he found a firefly had landed on it, and propped his elbow up on his knee to watch it try to crawl to the highest point of his hand. Turning his hand this way and that, the firefly would change direction in order to keep climbing. He held up his thumb a little and examined it as it crawled onto his fingernail, flashing gently. It paused, and it looked like the two were regarding each other before it opened its wings and flew away with one last brief glow.
no subject
Namine thought she noticed a light on in his room when she brought the pictures. Routine declared that an answer would come later, though, so she didn't think much of it when he didn't try to call her back to speak right there. Besides, they would meet up later to discuss whatever it was. So she went about her day. Focusing was difficult, though, so she set aside any more difficult projects she had in favor of sketches and other practice pieces.
There was also the fun of putting the finishing touches on her costume. She had the black breeches, boots, and long, loose shirt. A closer look let her find a vest she liked better than the sash she'd been using, and some costume jewelry. Nothing too gaudy, but there was no harm in trying clip on earrings, a necklace, and bracelet. Unable to find a hat she liked, she tried a head scarf instead.
Even though she'd planned to arrive a little early, Riku was already there. She paused for a moment to watch him and the firefly. Once it was gone, she walked over to sit by him. "Hello, Riku."
Seeing him this close, she realized she wasn't the only one of them taking advantage of this week's theme to try a new look. A little surprising, but not in a bad way. Anyway, she'd surprised him before.
no subject
He felt his heart pick up a little with a new current of emotions. Nowadays he always felt good being around her or getting pictures from her. Now, however, he also couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear in regards to what may happen next. Riku never was one to let fear get the best of him, and he wouldn't be starting now. Thus, on the wave of admiration, excitement, hope and unease, he began. "I have a couple questions. And some things I want to tell you."
Riku looked out to the fireflies. He wasn't going to leave her hanging on just that. "...I really enjoy... The picture conversations we have. And I really like..." He sighs. "I really like just having you around." He looked back to her. "Maybe I'm just misremembering things. But... You've cried before. Right?"
no subject
She was a little...not nervous, exactly. This was Riku; it hadn't taken long for her to feel safe around him, and that hadn't changed. From spending time together on the satellite and exchanging pictures, she knew him better now than she ever had in some ways, and she always looked forward to seeing him or getting a picture. So there wasn't any reason to be nervous, inasmuch as she could be nervous at all. Still, he'd never felt the need to arrange a meeting before, so this was new, and she wasn't quite sure what would happen. So maybe that's why her stomach felt as if it had butterflies flitting around in it.
Butterflies or, though, she wouldn't find anything out if she didn't ask. Or listen, as he proved willing to open the discussion as soon as she'd settled comfortably on the log. Questions she could certainly answer, and she was willing to listen to what he had to tell her. Though she wasn't quite sure why he'd thought he needed to set all this up just to say he liked their picture conversations and having her around--if he didn't, he wouldn't be exchanging pictures her, or be so concerned when she'd been in trouble. Also, how did that relate to the question, which was an odd one. "I-I think so; or very nearly."
Assuming this was said in the meeting. Also, sorry so short, but I feel it's plenty to go on.
After a moment's pause to let her take that in (if she hadn't realized it already), he continued. "It's not just that I like having you around. It's that being around you makes me feel great. And that I really want you to feel happy. Because I love... I love seeing you smile."
It is! Sorry this is a little delayed.
Before she could form a response, he went on, and she was confused all over again. In Castle Oblivion, Sora had once mentioned that even if his memories of her were fake, the feeling of happiness at seeing her smile wasn't. She got the feeling that Riku was talking about something different, though, something that hadn't entered into her thoughts. For him as for Sora, there had always been Kairi, who she couldn't be, who she wasn't, if Riku's earlier statement about hearts was right. So he couldn't mean...could he? Finally, she pulled herself out of her thoughts enough to try to smile. "Thank you. I like being around you, too."
It probably wasn't want he wanted to hear, and it didn't really answer anything, but it was the best she could manage at the moment. If she were a normal girl, she might know better how to respond to this, but she wasn't. All she could do was hope she hadn't hurt him too much.
Like this one isn't? Also, picture was required.
Slowly Riku reached over and took one of her hands in his, simultaneously taking the folded drawing from the pouch. He placed it in her palm took her other hand to place it on top. He clasped his large hands around hers. "Namine. Now that I know you have a heart... I want to share mine with you. I hope you'd want to do the same." And with that he let her hands go.
The picture was drawn on more of the paper he'd recycled. On it was a drawing of the two of them much as they had when he'd returned to the SOL and they watched a sunrise together. The main difference was they sat in the windowsill this time. The picture was from an angle where their faces were clear, and both were smiling. The two sat close, holding hands. Namine was leaning against Riku, who rested his head gently against hers. The light was bright on their faces... Or at least as well as Riku knew how to shade. However, his depiction of Namine was his best yet, and clearly he'd spent a lot more time trying to draw her than himself, considering how much more steady the lines were on her than him. Regardless, it was his best picture yet, and the effort showed. ...That and his vain attempt to try to fix the color of his pocket in the picture. Hopefully Namine wouldn’t notice. One thing for sure, though, was that he was starting to pick up a sense of composition from her works.
Riku looked at her with anticipation. Hopefully this was clear enough.
*saves picture* Also, sorry, the paradigm shift seems to be hitting Nami harder than I thought.
Only it looked like somewhere along the way, things had changed without her noticing. If Riku was being honest--and she trusted him to never knowingly lie to her--his feelings had changed, even before he knew she had a heart.
(It hurt, just a little, knowing he hadn't told her that, but she couldn't blame him for not wanting to say something that would have only brought them pain. He would have hurt knowing she couldn't feel the same way, and she would have been uncomfortable knowing she couldn't return the feelings.)
Without realizing it, though, somehow the beginning of a heart had formed inside her. How much it had grown by now was anyone's guess, but it was there. It was there, and he was saying he wanted to share his, only he was supposed to be saying that to someone else.
But..he wouldn't be saying it to her if he didn't mean it, or didn't think he meant it. This was no Castle Oblivion, either, nothing to affect his memory and she couldn't use her powers even unconsciously.
For a long moment she studied the picture, tracing the lines with one of her fingers. The slight smile on her face had a hint of surprise to it, though, and when she looked back up at him, there was more than a little confusion. "You mean...but...Kairi?"
The words tumbled out before she realized it, and she winced slightly. That hadn't been the first thing she'd meant to ask, but at least it was out in the open.
No prob, but Riku' sweatin'. XD
Riku watched her expression carefully, and began to smile a little when she did. At her question, however, it melted away as if it had never been there at all. It hurt. The fragmented question had so many possible meanings, and though they were bound to come up, it felt like his feelings for her had instantly been questioned.
And yet he couldn't blame her. If the roles had been reversed, he might've wondered something similar. So with that he answered what he could, hurt or not, with as many answers as he could think of.
"Yeah. I still like her." He looked away from her guiltily, looking down at the ground as he leaned forward with his elbows and forearms supporting his weight on his legs. He had a lot of explaining to do. "But I screwed up bad. Sora proved he could take better care of her. I want her to be protected. He can do that. But while I've been here on the SOL and while I was with you, I started thinking... It's not just the times we've spent here together or the pictures we've exchanged. You were there for me before that. The very first time I met you, you gave me a choice. You offered to seal Ansem away for me. You gave me an easy path, and that let me see the one I needed to take. And you showed me that darkness by itself wasn't my enemy. I was. It was my weakness I needed to fix more than my darkness. And you showed me that."
"You may have came from Kairi, but that doesn't affect my feelings. At least, I don't think so." He gently kicked a rock into the water with his boot. "Kairi never forced me to make the choices I needed to and see the things I had to see. What you did made me stronger. I couldn't have the same quiet moments with her as much and I couldn't have the picture conversations we have. We talk without saying a word. How often do people do that? Or can?" He sounded legitimately intrigued by the truth of those statements. "I hope you never feel like a replacement. You're a different person. And no one could ever replace you."
Still leaning forward, Riku finally looked back at Namine. "So I'm not the one to protect Kairi. I figured that out a long time ago. ...But maybe with all you did to take care of me, maybe I'm the one to protect you. ...I want to. Because you matter a lot to me."
Why is this so hard? Then again, he knew he had trouble following his heart, so maybe that was why. Maybe, he thought, practice makes perfect? But that'd take a lot of practice... There was also a third thing that'd come to mind when Namine had asked, but for the moment he couldn't recall what it was. Riku was sure it'd come up again, however.
Poor guy. XD Again, sorry for the delay, and long tag is long.
She wasn't a normal girl, though. Heart or no, normal was something that had never applied to her, and while she was sorry for the hurt she caused, it was something that needed to be brought up. It wasn't fair to either of them, or Kairi, to not recognize that Riku felt something for his best friend. When he spoke, she was still trying to find the right words to express that.
Explanations seemed to be unnecessary, though. Not that Riku made any direct comment, but the lack of comment held some meaning, too. Though her posture didn't change as she listened, she felt a tension she hadn't even noticed easing.
A part of her wanted to protest his decision to stop pursuing Kairi. He'd made his mistakes, yes, but didn't Kairi at least deserve to know that both her best friends loved her, and make her choice knowing that? Then again, trying to sway him that way might make him think she didn't return his feelings. That wasn't fair to either of them, considering that, having never considered the possibility that he could care for her this way, and unused to thinking in terms of having a heart to feel with, she'd never explored her feelings for him beyond friendship. Now, though, that potential was being questioned, and he deserved an honest answer.
She found herself tracing the lines in his picture again as she thought. Not being used to having a heart meant she had even less practice than Riku in following it, but she could try. "I never thought I was a replacement; just a shadow, like all Nobodies. I didn't even think I could have a heart until Sora told us that. You matter a lot to me, too, though...I think, maybe in the same way I do to you, I'm just not sure how that's supposed to feel." She managed a small, sad smile. "So you have a choice again. Someone who cares about you a lot, but is still getting used to the idea she can feel that way, and...won't be there when you go home. Or someone who will be there, and knows her own heart a little better."
It took some effort, but she willed herself to look up at him as she spoke. Much as she didn't like the idea of seeing him hurt any more by what she said, it would be wrong to look away.
Long is good and needed! And you're talking about delays? XD
He looked back to her with more smile on one side than the other, but it didn't quite qualify as a smirk anymore. "If you're just a shadow, then you're perfect for someone with darkness in his heart. ...But you've got to be something more than just a shadow. You helped me see the light, too." In both literal and figurative senses. Riku gently took her hand. "Don't they say if you love someone, you'll let them go if it's better for them? Sora's perfect for her. But someone needs to make sure you're taken care of." His emphasis had a sense of resolve.
Remembering the third and last point, he explained, "I won't remember this when I get back ...And you won't be there. But like I said in the meeting, DiZ gave me data to get Roxas, Xion and Ven out of Sora. If it works for Roxas, there's no reason it wouldn't work for you. And there's no reason I wouldn't try to get you out of Kairi, even if I don't remember anything that happened here."
"Besides. We'll forget, but the memories won't be gone. Isn't that what you said about Sora's memories once?" He gave her hand a little squeeze. "When I get you back, we'll just start from scratch." The smirk returned. "Who gets to fall for someone for the first time twice? ...A girl who's a shadow getting to know her heart and a guy with darkness in the heart he's trying to learn to follow. It works."
Good things come to those who wait? At least I hope this is good. XD;;;
Though, after a moment, she realized why. Hadn't he already made his choice? If he hadn't, he wouldn't have asked to speak to her tonight. She'd known that even before she asked, though she couldn't help posing the question outright. Like a witch in a fairy tale, she seemed to enjoy asking the hero questions.
Once, that had been to guide him to an answer she hoped he'd choose. She knew he was strong enough to defeat the shadow of Ansem still in his heart, and he'd just needed a reminder of that. This time, though, she hadn't been guided by any motive other than wanting to be sure for herself that he knew what he was choosing, and possibly giving up.
Now, she had to give herself a choice. She could accept his offer and try to determine how she felt, or refuse and just stay friends. The question was, which was the answer she wanted to give?
If she were perfectly honest with herself (and a little selfish), she could admit that she wanted to say yes. Was that the right choice, though? She didn't think it would hurt anyone else. The others would probably be happy for them.
She was happy herself, or at least, this warm feeling near her physical heart was what she thought happy was supposed to be. Trying to picture herself with him on Destiny Islands, sitting on the beach the same way they were in the picture, she found she liked the image. Not only did they look happy, but it left room for their friends to be happy, too. Not knowing when it would happen dulled some of the pleasure, and the future was never certain, but...
She gave his hand a light squeeze in return and smiled. "It could, if we want it to." Their memories of their time here would never truly be lost, and maybe a memory witch and someone who had walked through darkness were the best to help each other deal with other memories that would never fade...an idea which lead to thoughts that made her expression sober. "But, Riku, even if I'm more than just a shadow now, I began as one."
I'd say yes. Sorry this is short, muse wanted to be to the point.
Rather than a typical smirk, Riku offered a half-smile, brows raised. "...And I'll be here to protect you. You matter a lot to me. Will you let me look after you?"
Yaaaaay, thank you. Short and sweet is good, no prob.
She'd brought her origins up again because origins were important. His answer remained the same, though, so now was probably the time to drop the subject. Reassurance that she mattered to him no matter how she'd begun was enough.
His choice of words was interesting. Trust Riku to put things in terms of wanting to protect someone. Smiling slightly, with cheeks still faintly pink, she shifted her gaze back to him. "Yes."
Maybe leave off now? Or end soon?
That simple affirmation lit up the other side of his smile, and his expression relaxed in relief as he sighed a little. The light of a few passing fireflies shone on her reddened cheeks. He paused as he noticed this and smiled a little more.
"Hey. Namine? ...I'm sure it takes a heart to blush, too."
Wrapping up soon sounds good.
The teasing made her blush deepen again. If they were going to do this, though, she'd probably have to get used to being teased occasionally. "It probably does."
She followed the fireflies with here eyes until they got lost in the larger group nearby. Sighing, she looked back to him. "So, what do we do now?"
It was probably a silly question, but she wasn't quite sure what to do. At least with Riku, she felt comfortable asking.
Esp. since we got them both into the "Okay, let's try this" stage. XD
Being lost in that thought caused him to blink when she posed the question. He smiled and considered a moment. "I... Hadn't thought about it yet." He got up, offering her a hand. "How about we go for a walk while we talk about what to do on our first date?"
Yep. Finally. XD
If she noticed the extra time spent looking at her, she didn't mention it. And really, she couldn't say anything against him for it since it gave her time for a look at him. His time away had changed him, and he looked more grown-up. She liked it, though she must look even younger in comparison than she used to.
...Right, dates were something that couples did. She knew enough to be aware of that. Smiling, she took the offered hand. "Okay. This doesn't count?"
Inorite?
no subject
(Finished?)