It was amazing how much work was necessary for a small get together, but also how quickly and easily it went with the help of another person. Especially when that person happened to be on staff
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Kairi wasn't sure the invitation was meant for her, but she didn't want to miss out. She had really liked that last bonfire party, even if the food had been magic. This time she had cajoled Riku into coming with her, so at least she wouldn't be crashing Bryn's party by herself.
She was greeted by the warm glow of the fire and the smell of wood-smoke, but it was the cupcakes that instantly caught her attention. It had been months since she's had cupcakes!
"Oh!" And without another word, she made a beeline for the table.
Riku, on the other hand, wasn't feeling quite so comfortable as they approached the bonfire. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been around so many other people that weren't either bent on attacking him or working for the darkness. In fact...
Kairi was getting away from him.
Riku picked up his pace to keep up with her, following along until they'd made it to the sweets table. "I should've known this would be the first thing you'd find," he said, privately a little bit surprised to find that his lips quirked slightly in a half-smile.
Kairi didn't realize she'd left him behind until she heard him approaching again. His quip had her effortlessly grinning and she turned, holding out a chocolate and buttercream cupcake straight in front of Riku's face, rather than trying to put it in his hand.
"Yes, you should've," She waved the cupcake back and forth, determined he take it, "Come on, you know you want one."
Instinctively, Riku recoiled, taking a full step backward before logic kicked in to inform him that no, he didn't need to react. Then he shook his head, sliding his blindfold down to cover his eyes from where it had been pushed up on his forehead earlier. He'd forgone trying to argue with Kairi when it came to wearing it, but here with so many other people around, he felt uncomfortable, on edge.
making slight assumptions; poke for edits if necessary! \o/heroinwaitSeptember 9 2011, 17:31:09 UTC
A small pang of guilt went through him when Kairi said his name, but he said nothing, instead allowing her to hand him the cupcake. It wasn't that he wanted to hide from her. It was just...
"Sure. I guess I'll take some," he conceded. Not that he was all that trusting of food left out in the open--even if it had been put out by the people throwing the party in the first place; it was just the principle of the thing--but it felt like the least he could do, given the situation.
"You know, you never answered my question earlier. Do you actually know the person throwing this party?"
IT COOL!lightyourwaySeptember 11 2011, 04:24:24 UTC
She looked away, her cheeks flushed slightly pink; caught.
"Well, not personally," She turned and began leading the way toward the punchbowled, "But the last time there was a party like this, everyone was invited. There was dancing and good food and magic. I didn't want to miss it."
She spun and walked a few paces backwards so that she could still look at him as she spoke.
Riku shook his head, but it was difficult to keep a small, wry smile from crossing his face. Somehow he managed it, though his expression softened. "I didn't think so."
Kairi never changed. Not fundamentally, anyway. It was part of the reason he liked her so much--even with everything that they'd gone through, her losing her heart and him succumbing to the darkness, she was still able to shake that away and make him feel as though everything was all right again.
As they reached the table, he asked, "Are you telling me you haven't already made friends with everyone here?" He reached for a glass, ladling out some of the punch and offering it to her.
"Well," she accepted the glass and took an experimental sip, tasting carefully for any of that strange bitterness that had marked the drink she'd been given to knock her out the previous week, "Yes."
She grinned over the rim of her glass, "New people keep arriving every time I get close. But," she paused, her grin widening, "If you want to find someone new to play with, I can help."
It was silly. She knew it was silly. Their days of 'play' on that island had ended the moment they had begun to build that raft. It was just that none of them had quite known it yet. But that would not stop her teasing him.
To Riku, it wasn't as though he was caught at all. "I've been looking for information," he responded simply.
It wasn't that he'd been purposely trying to leave Kairi out of the loop so much as that it hadn't really occurred to him that he ought to bring her into it. He was so used to operating alone that it had become second nature.
"There's more to this place than Deior just offering his hospitality to us. I've been trying to figure out what that is."
Riku might not have thought to talk to Kairi about everything he'd been up to before, but he caught the subtleties of her response to him here. "Not much," he said, honestly, a bit puzzled. "Not yet."
Was she angry with him? She wasn't exactly pleased, he could tell that much.
It wasn't anger. Kairi could never resent the boys for the way they protected her. Part of her was glad because she didn't like fighting generally and wasn't very good.
But where Sora might talk to her about where he was going and what he was doing and how dangerous it would be, before telling her that she couldn't go with him, Riku would just slip away without a word and do what needed to be done.
Or at least, he would unless she asked him about it first.
And so she was resolved to ask.
"Not yet? Well, you haven't been here long. Neither of us have." Not really.
Riku shook his head. "I've been here for nearly two months. That's long enough."
Long enough that he should have had some sort of plan in motion by this point. Normally he would have done recon on the entire keep within the first couple of weeks. But he'd been letting himself get distracted, letting himself get comfortable since Kairi was here and there was no ready way out of the keep.
He doesn't say it aloud, but he can't help but think it--he's gotten lazy. He should've already had something in the works, should've been ready to at least put a plan into action by this point.
She was greeted by the warm glow of the fire and the smell of wood-smoke, but it was the cupcakes that instantly caught her attention. It had been months since she's had cupcakes!
"Oh!" And without another word, she made a beeline for the table.
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Kairi was getting away from him.
Riku picked up his pace to keep up with her, following along until they'd made it to the sweets table. "I should've known this would be the first thing you'd find," he said, privately a little bit surprised to find that his lips quirked slightly in a half-smile.
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"Yes, you should've," She waved the cupcake back and forth, determined he take it, "Come on, you know you want one."
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"I think I'll pass."
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"Riku." She didn't want to have the blindfold argument with him again. She was just trying to have some fun, and to get him to have some too.
She opted for the more conventional route and, reaching for his hand, went to deposit the cupcake in it.
"Well, will you have some punch?"
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"Sure. I guess I'll take some," he conceded. Not that he was all that trusting of food left out in the open--even if it had been put out by the people throwing the party in the first place; it was just the principle of the thing--but it felt like the least he could do, given the situation.
"You know, you never answered my question earlier. Do you actually know the person throwing this party?"
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"Well, not personally," She turned and began leading the way toward the punchbowled, "But the last time there was a party like this, everyone was invited. There was dancing and good food and magic. I didn't want to miss it."
She spun and walked a few paces backwards so that she could still look at him as she spoke.
"Besides, it said to get to know people better!"
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Kairi never changed. Not fundamentally, anyway. It was part of the reason he liked her so much--even with everything that they'd gone through, her losing her heart and him succumbing to the darkness, she was still able to shake that away and make him feel as though everything was all right again.
As they reached the table, he asked, "Are you telling me you haven't already made friends with everyone here?" He reached for a glass, ladling out some of the punch and offering it to her.
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She grinned over the rim of her glass, "New people keep arriving every time I get close. But," she paused, her grin widening, "If you want to find someone new to play with, I can help."
It was silly. She knew it was silly. Their days of 'play' on that island had ended the moment they had begun to build that raft. It was just that none of them had quite known it yet. But that would not stop her teasing him.
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After all, he was friends with her. And he was fairly sure Varric counted, by this point. And...
Having too many friends was overrated, anyway.
"I've just been busy, that's all."
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"Oh? Do you think you'll ever tell me why you're so busy?" Caught. He'd tell her. She knew he would.
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It wasn't that he'd been purposely trying to leave Kairi out of the loop so much as that it hadn't really occurred to him that he ought to bring her into it. He was so used to operating alone that it had become second nature.
"There's more to this place than Deior just offering his hospitality to us. I've been trying to figure out what that is."
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Was she angry with him? She wasn't exactly pleased, he could tell that much.
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But where Sora might talk to her about where he was going and what he was doing and how dangerous it would be, before telling her that she couldn't go with him, Riku would just slip away without a word and do what needed to be done.
Or at least, he would unless she asked him about it first.
And so she was resolved to ask.
"Not yet? Well, you haven't been here long. Neither of us have." Not really.
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Long enough that he should have had some sort of plan in motion by this point. Normally he would have done recon on the entire keep within the first couple of weeks. But he'd been letting himself get distracted, letting himself get comfortable since Kairi was here and there was no ready way out of the keep.
He doesn't say it aloud, but he can't help but think it--he's gotten lazy. He should've already had something in the works, should've been ready to at least put a plan into action by this point.
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