[.oo9] A Curious Future

[lethechained]

Characters: Naminé (OU) and victims anyone.
Setting: All over the tower.
Format: Responder's choice.
Summary: Ten years in the Tower has changed a few things about Naminé - like her Stealth stat. Characters may find themselves with unexpected company.
Warning: Stalking, possible violence or discussion of past violence/abuse/kidnapping, magical ninjas.


[All over the Tower]

[There's someone behind you.]

[No, not really - she's probably not actually directly behind anyone. But there is someone lurking around, staying just out of sight and following characters on nearly silent footsteps. She's difficult to detect and quite persistent, but should one manage to catch sight of their unexpected companion, they'll see someone dressed all in white, a hood over their head. They're small-framed and it's hard to tell their age, but whoever they are, they're there and likely have been for a while.]

[Naminé's looking for information. Except asking directly doesn't seem to be her first choice of action at the moment; not when everything's all wrong and the tower is obviously up to something. So, she's taken to trailing after people, especially the ones who look familiar. Characters in just about any part of the tower may find themselves being followed.]

[Floor Forty-Eight]

[At first glance, it might look like there's a ghost in the graveyard. This is not actually the case; the 'ghost' in question is just someone hooded and dressed in white, moving among the graves as if searching for names.]

[Floor Twenty]

[That person in white who has been lurking around the tower appears to be taking a rest, seated near the edge of this floor. She's looking outward, but trying to sneak up on her may not be the best idea.]

[Floor Eleven]

[While not that long ago in reality, for her, it's been forever since that day that she spent practicing on this floor. ... She casts a brief spell in passing that leaves the nearest waterfall frozen in time for nostalgia's sake, taking only a moment to glance up at her handiwork before continuing on her way. The waterfall eventually returns to normal, but it takes a while.]

Comments

[lethechained]

Mm... I could, but I think it would probably be a waste of time. She's not far.

[Not far at all.]

[She will give him that look, thank him very much, because he was indeed an idiot. ... But she relents after a while anyway, lips finally quirking at that smile of his.]

[rememberstime]

Well she should come help me. What if I fall now. I've fallen and can't get up.

[He'd fall if they weren't in a graveyard. That's gross.

His smile just gets bigger at her.]

[lethechained]

Then she'll be right here to catch you.

[Yeah, that's. Probably the appropriate decision to make at this time and location.]

[Of course it does. Such a silly boy, even as a man.]

[rememberstime]

[Welp. Dave pretends he's about to faint. She asked for it. He's the hugest fucking goober. It is him.

What a dork.]

[lethechained]

[Oh, no. How terrible that would be-- except for all her attempts to stifle it, she's giggling as she pretends to catch him, which... may or may not result in a real hug at some point.]

[King of the coolkid dorks, apparently.]

[rememberstime]

[He just wraps his arms around her, letting out a breathy laugh. Jesus Christ these two.]

[lethechained]

[These two, indeed. Welp. Since pretenses seem to have fallen away - she wraps her arms around him in return, giggling more openly despite pressing her face into his shoulder.]

[rememberstime]

[And he just totally lifts her off the ground. Hopefully you don't mind not being able to touch the ground. He keeps his arms securely around her waist and maybe they're floating a little bit.

Just like when they were teenagers.]

[lethechained]

--!

[It's a surprise, but... since it's him, it's a good surprise. She may have gone back to being a little more on edge, but he's-- well, it's funny, how he makes her feel like a kid again despite being really freaking old-- She lets out a startled laugh and a,]

Dave...!

[... Which doesn't sound as accusatory as it was probably meant to. She just holds him a little tighter and trusts him not to drop her - high enough to cause any permanent damage, anyway.]

I see you still do the floaty thing.

[Just like when they were teenagers, indeed.]

[rememberstime]

[He let's out a breathy laugh. He felt his heart flutter a bit. It was a nice feeling to have. It's been awhile since he's done this he feels. Or at least, he feels like he hasn't been this light since when they did this the first few times.

But he keeps his arms around her securely. She doesn't have to worry about falling.

He presses his face against the crook of her neck, still laughing a bit and nodding. Yeah, he still does the floaty thing.]

[lethechained]

[Her fingers splay unconsciously against his back at that laugh, a quiet one of her own in her chest as she recognizes the sound. She can't quite remember the last time she got to feel like this, herself, and she realizes with an internal start that she missed it.]

[Worry she doesn't. It's a bit hard to, when it's him holding her up.]

[She can feel the nod well enough, and the answer is already readily apparent. Her soft laugh is pressed into his shoulder, and after a moment, she leans the side of her head gently against his.]

[... Yeah. This is definitely something she missed.]

[rememberstime]

[He can clearly remember why he started liking her so long ago. Not that he'd pursue it. Their timelines are too far apart like this. He wonders if he'll have a chance to do this again with her. He's forgotten a lot and he doesn't think he can make up for it. Maybe it's too late. Maybe not.

But he'll just enjoy this current moment. He finally let's them drop back down to the ground gently. He can't exactly hold conversation when he's holding her up. And he doesn't want to drop her because he was trying to tell her something.

They can easily do this again anyways. For however long they want.]

[lethechained]

[Maybe it's been something percolating in the back of her mind since he said - or wrote - what he did earlier, but... quite suddenly, she finds herself with the thought that she would have been very happy with him. Not just as a friend, but something else entirely. She's not quite sure what to do with the thought once she recognizes it, once it stops being something lurking in her subconscious and becomes a very real and formed idea. Something in her jumps to think that maybe she could have felt that way about him. She knows better than to let it be anything else. There's too much going on, too many complications. (That he's twice her age, at least at this moment, is not so much the problem as what it means for their relative situations and memories.)]

[That doesn't stop her from smiling, even when her eyes open because she's felt her feet touch the ground. She doesn't draw away immediately, though she's prepared to - if he does, anyway. She's content, she thinks, just like this.]

[rememberstime]

[Dave doesn't seem to have any intent to let go. He keeps his arms wrapped around her, face buried against her crook. His teenager self wouldn't be as physically affectionate. But he lives off this. Every touch is sacred and important. And he doesn't know if she can tell, but it's important to him to express it.

He doesn't think there's a chance between them. Even if they were at the same age, but he likes to think she'll find someone nice to be with.

But for now, he thinks he's also okay with just monopolizing her attention for himself.]

[lethechained]

[That seems to be just fine with her. She may not be particularly physically affectionate herself even at this age, but that goes more for the initiation of it than the continuation or acceptance of it. After all, it's him. He's perfectly welcome to hold her as long as he wishes, and besides - it's... really nice. To say she's been starved for that sort of affection would probably be an understatement.]

[(Fat chance of that - at least as far as she's likely to think.)]

[Attention officially monopolized. Her eyes shut again, a quiet little sigh escaping her lips, and she moves one hand from his back only to carefully raise it up and brush it gently, slowly over the back of his hair.]

[rememberstime]

[You basically are friends with a really old and bony koala. Sorry to say, Namine. You two might as well be friend married because he will always throw affection at you because talking is kind of not a thing for him.

But he eventually pulls back. Also, wow they're still in the graveyard huh? No matter. But he only pulls away far enough so he can trace letters again.]

Shit, I think you deserve a medal. Saved me from an untimely death just now.

[lethechained]

[Old, bony, or a koala, none of those things deter her, not separately and not together. Whatever way he chooses to express himself is alright with her - aside from, you know, perhaps punches in the snout face.]

[Whoops, they are. It was easier to forget than she'd have expected, although of course she's not one to fuss too much about things in general, like being in a really strange location for hugging. Her eyes follow his hand as he traces, a laugh in her chest at the words.]

It was my pleasure. No medal necessary. [Hee.] I'll settle for knowing I helped you out.

[rememberstime]

[He wouldn't ever punch her. Unless it was a well needed and deserved one. Even then, he might not.

Dave does a fake swoon in response. God damn. You're like a knight in fucking armor. He can't go on with the title of Knight. Please make him a princess.]

Knight in shining armor. Fucking swooning here. Weak ankles and all that jazz.

[lethechained]

[Yet another reason the arrangement is acceptable to her. She needs to be around people who won't hit her.]

[Fake swoon or not, she's fully prepared to catch him, smiling widely. He would make the prettiest of princesses, of course. It would be a shame to deprive the world of such a lovely creature.]

Why, we can't have that! Don't worry, I'll hold you up. [This is so absurd. She's at least familiar enough with fairytales to say,] Have you become my damsel in distress?

[rememberstime]

[Everyone wishes they were as pretty as he was. Fairest of them all. And by that, he's pale as fuck and blond to boot. Yeah, fair is a pretty accurate term for him.

He gives her a nod and tries to look in as much distress as possible. What a dork.]

[lethechained]

[Everyone and their grandma wishes indeed, but of course not a single one of them has a chance. Fair is a fair term on a fair number of levels.]

[His dorkiness must be approaching critical mass, but hopefully it's not liable to explode any time soon because it's gotten her into a fit of quiet giggles that she's trying to keep down but is only having so much success at.]

Well, I can't promise anything, but if there are any dragons around that you need me to slay, I'll give it a try. Otherwise, I'll do whatever I can to ease your distress-- [She's trying really hard not to snicker.] -- fair sir.

[rememberstime]

[He wouldn't be as dorky right now if it weren't for the fact that it puts a smile on her face and gives her something to laugh about. In this place, that has probably become one of the most rewarding things to him.

He pulls himself up and puts his hand on his hips. Excuse you. He's a lady. He illustrates this by doing a motion for curves and striking some ridiculous gawdy pose you'd only see in movies.]

[lethechained]

[Everyone has to get by somehow. If she can make it easier for him, well -- that's rewarding for her, too. It means so much to her that he can still be silly, and with her especially. They both need something to laugh about, here.]

[Which she does, for all her attempts to cover her mouth and trying so hard not to choke on her own laughter. Eventually she just can't manage to restrain it and gives up, letting out a bright, clear laugh that probably has no place in a world like this.] Dave...! [But she can't manage to sound actually scolding for his absurdity; it's one of the most endearing things about him, after all. Once she's recovered enough,] Of course, my mistake. Fair lady. I should have known; you're very lovely.

[rememberstime]

[It took awhile for him to get to this point. But after going through hell and back, you want to try and enjoy yourself more if it's going to be a constant anyways.

Dave tips his shades down so he can bat his eyelashes at her before wrapping his arms around her to envelop her in a hug. He lets out a breathy laugh to follow her bright, clear one.]

[lethechained]

[There's something of that for her; it's part of the reason being in the Tower has actually made her happier. Her life before-- well. It wasn't that much of a life.]

[She blinks back at him reflexively, even though she's not quite batting her own (not insignificant) eyelashes, and there is another laugh on her lips. It's so strange to see his eyes at all, so thrilling in its own sort of way for how rarely it happens, and it adds to her delight. She presses into the hug with a sort of readiness that does not often come to her, and her arms slide around his middle, face pressing into his chest. Even now there is a soft movement in her own, something of a further, suppressed laugh. Muffled by his clothing,]

You're so silly.