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Drop top, how we rollin' down on Collins South Beach
[ It's an afternoon like any other in April, crisp and clear skies, the air dusted with the soft tufts of falling sakura blossoms as the trees begin to shed for the changing seasons. With it always comes the promise of something new, something different, and she can practically feel the hope and excitement buzzing through the air as the students finish the first day of the new year. Many are looking forward to a new beginning, a new chance to either salvage their grades or, perhaps, to make new friends and join new clubs. It's a season of promise.
But as much as that remains largely true for her, it's also the start of the end of her life as she knows it. She's only in her second year, but even now her father has lined up tutors after tutors to instruct her on how to perform exactly perfectly on her exams to prepare her for university. It helps that learning comes naturally to her, and for whatever reason she doesn't have to study quite as hard or as diligently to yield the same results, but her father insists that she attends to her lessons all the same.
"You will be the next head of the family business".
These are the gruff words spoken through a magnificent snow-white beard of her father, and she can practically hear them even now as she walks from her school. She bypasses the chauffeur in the black western car waiting outside the gates of the school for her, just as easily as she pushes those words to the back of her mind. Now's not the time to worry about such things, after all. Not when she's set to meet someone soon, and it wouldn't be courteous to the one she's meeting if she comes to him with a furrowed brow and a frown.
It's an easy train ride and a few blocks away of walking to a certain park, and in that certain park is a certain someone. She recognizes him immediately... but she does not go to him immediately. ]
Guess who~?
[ He'll find two hands coming up behind him, a soft giggle decorating her words like a bell. ]
But as much as that remains largely true for her, it's also the start of the end of her life as she knows it. She's only in her second year, but even now her father has lined up tutors after tutors to instruct her on how to perform exactly perfectly on her exams to prepare her for university. It helps that learning comes naturally to her, and for whatever reason she doesn't have to study quite as hard or as diligently to yield the same results, but her father insists that she attends to her lessons all the same.
"You will be the next head of the family business".
These are the gruff words spoken through a magnificent snow-white beard of her father, and she can practically hear them even now as she walks from her school. She bypasses the chauffeur in the black western car waiting outside the gates of the school for her, just as easily as she pushes those words to the back of her mind. Now's not the time to worry about such things, after all. Not when she's set to meet someone soon, and it wouldn't be courteous to the one she's meeting if she comes to him with a furrowed brow and a frown.
It's an easy train ride and a few blocks away of walking to a certain park, and in that certain park is a certain someone. She recognizes him immediately... but she does not go to him immediately. ]
Guess who~?
[ He'll find two hands coming up behind him, a soft giggle decorating her words like a bell. ]
SLAMS INTO
He misses the ones in his hair and on his beanie.
Someone more observant and whimsical would realize the seasons are changing. They say spring is the time of rebirth, but autumn is the season of promise. Of change.
Things are finally changing for the better when it comes to Yata. Things are good how they are, and he's tired of change. He's finally in a place where he wants to be.
Where he belongs.]
GUAA──AH!?
[There is one thing about Yata that hasn't changed. How bad he is dealing with girls. Or maybe he's gotten worse at it.
Girls suddenly giggling in his ear and covering his eyes would startle anyone, but with the new Homra member he nearly leaps out of his skin. His skateboard clatters to the ground and he ducks away from the hands, jumping around and looking defensive.
Once he recognizes a friend he's had since childhood, Zelda, his tense posture relaxes but his blush doesn't fade.]
Can't ya greet someone like a normal person!? I'm gonna have a heart attack one of these days... [Rhetorical. He's busy looking over her school uniform -- from her loafers to her skirt (his blush darkens) and up to her blouse. Definitely avoiding looking at her chest.
Maybe it's because he's been hanging around with the guys all day but,]
... I-is your skirt shorter than usual?
BATTLE CRY
He wears his heart on his sleeve, which she has a tendency to do as well. Or, well, how she used to. For it seems that the older she gets, the more she's crafted a mask for herself: one that looks pleasant, smiling, polite, the perfect daughter, someone who attends functions among the upper crust of society... Recently she's caught herself using that mask with Yata-- a white lie to say that she needs to leave, a passing comment how exciting the future looks-- and those moments don't occur without a great sense of guilt tagged along. It's why she enjoys these moments instead, where she can truly be more of herself. ]
Ya-ta-kun~ [ She sings his name, rocking on the balls of her feet before she does a little, giddy spin, almost childlike in its execution. The skirt mercifully does not reveal anything. ] Do you like it?
[ Okay, she's laying on the teasing a little thick here, but her question is sincere. In the early morning when she had stared at her new second-year uniform in the mirror, it would be a lie to say that she hadn't had a passing thought of him. Or more specifically, what he would think of it. It's not like she hasn't noticed how awkward he is with other girls... or how some more revealing clothing does turn his head as they've walked down the street.
This isn't jealousy, she had told herself while looking in that mirror. It's a new school year, and all the girls wear their skirts shorter... ]
PUTS ON WARPAINT
SOMEONE COULD SEE HER PANTIES IF SHE KEPT DOING THAT.
He sputters on his words. What? Does she seriously want his opinion? He's bad at things like this. No girl has ever asked for his thoughts on something they wear. What does he say? What does he DO? It doesn't matter if it's Zelda -- the ONE girl he can actually converse with without running away. This is a situation he could never be prepared for!!!]
M-me?! Do I──? U-uh, um.
[His eyes keep flicking between her skirt length and her thighs and her face again. He's sweating a little. When he met Kusanagi today and these girls came into the bar he said something that made them giggle. What the hell was it? Shit. He wished he was paying attention and doing everything he could to avoid looking...
But it's Zelda. BUT it's Zelda IN A SHORT SKIRT?! She does look cute. UGH. He doesn't want to think about this anymore!]
Yeahit'snicecmonletsgo.
[It's said in a rush as he reaches forward and grabs her wrist, tugging her along. Now that he can't see her, he seems to fall into his usual mood.]
You brought the thing I told ya to bring, right? I can't show you what I wanna unless you got it.
Re: PUTS ON WARPAINT
....And his hand around her wrist. She blinks as she feels his fingers encircle her, and the tug causes her to lean forward a bit for the few initial steps, but soon enough she falls in time, pacing behind him. She's grateful that he's turned away and is now faced forward, because he'll miss her own cheeks tint for a fleeting moment. ] Bring....hm?
[ OH RIGHT. THAT TEXT. ]
---Oh, well! It's not as if I could have taken a shovel from the gardening club, but they did lend me this. [ From her bag she'll produce a small gardening tool as they walk. ] And as for bringing something to set on fire-- [ A pause, and here she'll stop in her tracks and give a tug back, huffing. ] --Exactly what are you planning on doing?
You can't just send me a text like that and expect me to agree!
no subject
And might have left a note that said he would bring it back. Depending.
He looks over his shoulder. That... will probably work. It's not a shovel but it's something to dig with. Sand shouldn't be too difficult to get down into. Besides, they were kids back then. They couldn't have buried it that deep--
He stops too and looks over his shoulder.]
I'll show ya!
[His eyes brighten at her, excitement painted clearly on his face. She's right, he's obvious. Yata is an open book when it comes to emotion. He would later wish that other people were as easy to read as he was. Maybe then he wouldn't have so much trouble with the nuances.]
Just trust me. It'll be awesome. Hehe, you're gonna freak.
[He tugs her forward again, looking around.]
We gotta find a place nobody'll see, though. People might call the cops.
[Yata. That is not comforting to anyone.]
no subject
[ Is what she replies with, going along with him, pulled at her wrist. At first.
Because then at the mention of the cops, there's another gasp from her. ] Er-- cops?
It's not like-- you don't have a sword on you, do you? [ But although she says this jokingly as he leads her, there's a bit of a nervous tick to her laugh. ]
no subject
Yata snorts. Funny she says that. One of the things he DOES remember in all the talking that was going on today was that there's a blue clan, too. The leader of that clan is Munakata and he's Mikoto-san's rival.
Or that's how Yata took it. He didn't really understand a lot of what was said by Kusanagi and Totsuka. Most of what he did was nod his head although he had no clue what the fuck was going on. All he knew was he had powers and he had to show Zelda since he couldn't show off to Fushimi.
He had them, too.]
Nah. That's the blue guys' thing. [He says like she has ANY IDEA what he's talking about.
That reminds him that he should think about getting his own weapon. A sword wouldn't be good for him. Fushimi said something about his house having throwing knives. Yata's eyes got big and he said "Cool!" while demanding he be shown them as soon as possible. Though Fushimi sighed and called it a pain he agreed, too.
Fushimi was like that.
Zelda was a little like that with Yata, too. Let him get away with things when he had enough enthusiasm. Something he definitely will not put together.]
It's not a weapon. [Wait. He scratches his cheek.] Aaaah, well, it's not a weapon I can hold.
[So. It's a weapon.]
no subject
She wants to know more, she years for it, and he'll see it in the glint of her eyes. ] A riddle?
[ She adores riddles, which might be something they don't have in common. ] Ah-- so, um, let's see... [ A weapon, but not one can hold. Hm.
She thinks for a moment, and then exclaims: ] --Determination! It is a weapon, but not a tangible one. [ ...Or. Or. Maybe she's giving him too much credit with believing he's telling her a riddle. ]
no subject
Well, he didn't know if Zelda was from a rich family.
... Probably not.]
Huh? [He stops and looks over at her again, looking twice as confused as she had while she tries to figure it out. He was just trying to keep up the SUSPENSE. He'd blow it if he told her what he could do before he could just show her. He knows what he's doing, okay?
Sometimes he forgets how NERDY Zelda is. Likely because he's caught up with other things. Things they don't have in common...
One silver lining to Zelda being Zelda is that Yata relaxes and is able to be himself. That's why he enjoys hanging out with her. She doesn't have super girly habits.
Besides the skirt thing.]
No! Haha! Why would I bring you out here to show you "determination" or whatever? Weirdo. Just be patient, aight? If you don't know, it'll be better that way when I finally show you. Oh, hey, that place might work.
[He guides them to an abandoned basketball court and some plastic bleachers, pushing open the gate to go inside and stops in the center.]
Hey, Zelda. You gotta promise somethin' before I show you, okay?
no subject
Already she's thinking of what he could possible show her-- perhaps he's been re-admitted to a high school? Or perhaps he's become certified in some sort of trade. But when he asks her to promise something, she can only look at him quizzically. From how secretive he's being about this whole thing, she hazards a guess that whatever it is he's going to show her, he wants it to be, well, a secret. ]
...What is it?
[ She'll chew on her bottom lip, tilting her head a bit. ]
no subject
His fists clench and unclench. Even now, he can feel the power simmering just under his skin waiting to be used. As badly as he wants to reveal it, there are things just a little more important to him than showing off.
Just a little.
Yata never wants to scare girls. Boys? Eeeeeh.]
Ya gotta promise not to really freak out. Like, no screamin' or nothin'. It's different. But it's awesome as hell, too! It's not gonna hurt you. J-just promise!
huff puff back from business
But then, it's Yata. Him doing dangerous things anyway doesn't surprise her. ] ...Alright. [ She replies, but only after a moment.
And then she smiles at him. ] I promise.
welcum beck
But Zelda is too trusting and she knows him too well to really think he was going to hurt her. It's that which has him exhaling and even smiling a bit when she agrees and promises him.]
Hehe. Okay.
[He's so happy. His heart skipped a beat?! That's what happens when you're really happy, right? With Zelda at his side and now Homra, life couldn't be better.
Shit, now he's excited. She'll!! Get to see!!!! He clenches his fists tightly and then opens them again, looking at his palms.]
Watch closely, 'kay?
[If Zelda does watch his hands, a spark starts between his hands. His face is so concentrated and determined it's almost funny -- brow furrowed and his lips pursed as he forced the fire to grow and grow.
Until it's nearly covering his entire arms.
His eyes grow wild with the flames he creates.]
no subject
And there, right there, she sees a brief flicker of light, as fleeting as a firefly in the summer, that she almost does think it's a trick. But when she blinks again there is now a fire cupped between his hands that rapidly ignites to becomes a proper, roaring flame that envelopes all the way up his arms. Her eyes go wide and she gasps, staggering backwards as she feels the heat radiate off of him to tickle her cheeks and neck. ] --Yata, what--?!
[ Her surprise and confusion might be mistaken for fear, and perhaps indeed there is a bit of it for no living creature would be calm after suddenly exposed to such a roaring inferno so close. She looks from the flames to him to the flames and to him again until they become indistinguishable-- fire, Yata, fire, Yata-- and she wonders if that's truly the case because clearly that fire is not hurting him at all, as if it is a mere extension of himself. ] That's...
[ She swallows, and once that fear passes, her own eyes light up and suddenly she's beaming at him. ] Incredible!! Oh my goodness, look at it! The fire you've created is huge, but how is it that you're not burning either, or-- no, how is it that you can do this at all?!
[ He can expect a lot more questions, all the while she's beginning to pace, looking at the flames and him from multiple angles. ]