highfiving | (no subject)

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[ after entering their room, leia's first order of business had been to take a bath. the food and medicine would probably be ready by the time she was done and, after such a long day, a nice, long soak sounded pretty appealing. so, she had gathered up her pajamas (because screw rpg logic that says they wear their default outfits to bed) and headed for the bathroom— but not without calling a warning to not peek over her shoulder as she went.

her bath wasn't too long, all things considered, but she had been right about their order being ready by the time she was done. it wasn't until she started eating that she realized how hungry she actually was, though, and she was pretty quiet while they ate as a result. there might've been a little bit of joking back and forth, of course, but her focus had been on the food in front of her. she even managed to take the medicine without too much complaint (though she had definitely made it known that she wasn't a fan of how it tasted).

and by the time all of that is over and they're both done with anything else that might need to be tended to, she's actually feeling a little bit better. her fever is still there and she's still feeling weaker than usual, but she's also more comfortable and ready to settle in for some well-deserved relaxation. the room's cozy atmosphere definitely lends itself to that, especially now that the noise from the festival has completely faded away for the night, anyway.

if she was roomed with milla and elize like old times, this would probably be when she would try to spark up some girl talk, and while alvin probably isn't suited for that, that doesn't mean that they can't talk at all. so, she scoots to the edge of the bed, letting her legs dangle over it, and pats the spot beside her. ]

Wanna come sit?

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[like he would peek. he actually rolled his eyes at that comment, but rather than calling out a quip in return, he just went to make that call. he's a bit relieved to see her appetite still strong and he just let her be, keeping her company and keeping the atmosphere positive and friendly. not that it was that hard. even though he had been concerned about her back outside, he's showing less of it now that they're in the room.

he had just finished his turn in the bathroom, hair still damp with the towel still draped around his neck (and yes he's wearing clothes so no fanservice for Leia). without it styled, his hair really is long when down naturally. when he hears her and sees her scooting over, he just arches a brow.]

Isn't it past your bedtime?

[so he says, but he obliges and comes over to sit next to her.]

In case you haven't noticed, I kind of live by myself. I don't have a bedtime anymore.

[ which might sound kind of indignant, but she seems pretty pleased when he takes a seat even still. ]

I just figured we could talk a little before I go to bed.

[ and she glances up at him out of the corner of her eye. since they don't typically share rooms like this, this is probably the first time (or one of the first times) she's seen him like this. she's in the same boat, though, with her hair falling loose around her shoulders and her hat sitting propped on her bedside table. ]

That's okay with you, right? You're not feeling too tired?

[they've never even been to a pool together or even the beach—this has to be fixed ASAP.]

You know me—I'm more of a night owl. [due to previous life and all that.] I can stay up until you pass out.

[ well, she is supposed to be a good swimmer... ]

That's what I like to hear!

[ even if she's pretty sure she could pull off staying up just as well as him if she wasn't sick. that just puts her at an unfair advantage, which is obvious from the way she yawns, stretching her arms above her head. she's not usually this tired so early in the night.

and she takes a moment to think of what to bring up first. not boys or romance or something similarly personal, since she's had enough of him teasing her over that for one day, so maybe... ]

Since you're so awake, why don't you tell me a story or two? You know, the really juicy kind.

[ maybe she can turn things around on him a little and put him in the spotlight for once. ]

A juicy story? Like what?

[he's not sure if he likes where this is going, especially if she remembers that he did say he would tell her more about himself.]

I dunno. A funny one, I guess? The kind Balan usually tells.

[ which is either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how he chooses to look at it. she does remember what he said about telling her more, though, so even if she's sick and drowsy, she's not going to let him off easily. ]

[rubs the back of his neck as he looks up at the ceiling.]

Talk about a low standard.

[that, too, could also imply different things.]

...Well, there is a story about Jude that Balan told me. Ever heard how he got his new style?

Rowen and I tried to figure this one out, once.

[ meaning that, no, she doesn't know the full story. ]

I dunno where he got the clothes or why he started doing his hair like that, but it was because he wanted to try something new, right?

That was part of it. The other part was because of Balan. [smiiirk.] He's the one who handed Jude a fashion magazine and suggested a hair salon to go to.

Apparently the kid was too used to your rustic barber shops. The moment he stepped into the salon, he apparently froze up and didn't know what to do. It was the hair stylist that came up with his style and he just kept it ever since.

I really wish I had been there, but apparently he got really worked up about the whole thing.

[ knowing jude for as long as she has, it's very, very easy to let this story unfold in her mind. she can imagine him flipping out especially clearly, and the thought of it makes her snicker. ]

I bet it was totally priceless. He's not very good with stuff like that.

[ she also may or may not be planning to slip some of this into any articles she gets to write about jude in the future. or any conversations she has with him or anyone they know.

... she's going to bring it up every chance she gets, basically. ]

But, you know, I was kind of hoping for a story about you.

Yeah, I figured. [a wry look.] But did you really think I'd tell you a funny story about myself?

Not usually, but you did tell me that you'd let me in on more of your secrets, right?

[ leia: 1, alvin: 0. ]

[dammit.]

Aw come on. I'm not even sure if I can think of one right now.

[that. that might have had heavier implications that he intended.]

Seriously? You can't even think of one good story?

[ even if he didn't mean for it to be heavy, that's definitely how she takes it. ]

A funny one?

[okay he's trying. the problem was anything he thought about would be from before he got into Rieze Maxia. after that, there really weren't any good ones that he could think of it. not at his expense, anyway. ...well that's a depressing thought.

it's going to take him longer than any of them probably like, but he does finally think of something.]

Okay, I think I got something. It's embarrassing, anyway. [just giving her a look.]

So when I first started the whole mercenary gig, I was around your age. I was still learning my way around, so I took the easy jobs at first. You know, clearing out some monsters off the main roads, deliver some goods, things like that. I decided to get a little cocky and tried to tackle two at once. I was going to deliver some crates from Lakutam Seahaven to Xian Du. There had been reports of some wild boars attacking people, so I thought I could take that on as well.

I was driving a wagon and things went all right up until I reached the area with the boars. I could already see the tracks but they weren't in sight. Just as I was thinking of pulling over, this big one just launched itself from the bushes and slammed into the wagon. Needless to say, the horse took off and then came the series of incredible events.

It all happened so fast, I was actually knocked back into the cargo. The back hatch had knocked out, and those crates were falling out fast—and it took me with them. Those crates broke apart and it turns out they were full of eggs.

[he sighs and shakes his head.]

So you know that phrase to get egg on your face? Yeah I had a literal experience of that.

The horse eventually made its way to Xian Du, but not even a third of the shipment survived. I also didn't take down the boars because my weapons were on that thing. Honestly, I'm pretty sure even the boars pitied me because they just walked off after all that.

[ that counts as a funny story, if the way she's laughing by the end of it is anything to go by. it's not the enthusiastic, loud laughter he might be used to hearing from her, but she's definitely amused. ]

So, did you get in trouble? Did anyone see you before you got cleaned up? [ and she yawns again before continuing: ] I wanna hear all the details.

[he catches that yawn, but he'll oblige.]

You better believe I got in trouble. I had to pay back for all those eggs, and since I was a kid they weren't going to go easy on me. Had to work my ass off collecting more of them.

I dealt with so many chickens and eggs I couldn't stand the sight of them for a month.

It must've been pretty tough.

[ and she snickers again, which means that he's probably not going to live this down anytime soon. she moves away from him so that she can flop down onto the bed, though— even if she's not ready to settle down and sleep, that doesn't mean she can't get comfortable before she continues grilling him. ]

But I bet it taught you not to bite off more than you can chew, right? Did you take on lots of jobs at once after that?

[just be careful, Leia. tease him too much and the payback might get ugly.

he sees her flopping back and he can only turn and look at her before he answers.]

Like I'd let that stop me. I still took on multiple jobs—I was just more careful about it.

[he then starts to stand, thinking she probably wants to sleep soon.

[ she can take whatever payback he has to dish out, okay.

anyway, she's quick to reach out, grabbing his hand as she sits back up. ]

Hey, wait! [ and she tugs on his hand a little, like she's trying to pull him back down to the bed. ] I wasn't done. I was kind of hoping for another story.

[he's actually a bit surprised when he feels her hand pulling back on his hand. and then he just half-grins as he eases back down, repositioning himself a bit so that one leg is bent over the bed while the other remains draped over.]

What are you, a spoiled kid wanting a bedtime story?

No way! I'm just kind of curious about what other stories you've got up your sleeve.

[ she settles back down, but she's not going to let go of his hand just yet. she doesn't trust that he won't get up and leave if she does. ]

It's not a crime to be interested in what you have to say, is it?

[so much hand holding today... if they weren't already casual people, one would start to wonder about it. but given that this just seems par for the course for them, he just lets her, even shifting his hand a bit to be more comfortable, his thumb tapping against hers as if he's poking her.]

It is when you're clearly taking advantage of being sick and making me pity you.

[joking of course.]

But all right, fine, fine. What kind of story do you want now?

[ she shifts, rolling onto her side so that she can look up at him. ]

I didn't think that far ahead. [ and that's actually a hard question to answer, anyway— he didn't seem to have too many happy stories and, as much as she doesn't mind the more serious ones, she doesn't want to push him too hard. so, she takes a minute to think. ]

Are there any stories that you really like telling?

[about his past? not really.]

I can think of a few "on the job" stories, at least the cooler ones, anyway. There's a pretty good one that involves Orda Palace.