highfiving | (no subject)

(no subject)

[if there was one thing Elympions were really adept at, it was creating highly technological constructions and living the "high life" so to speak. after the schism dropped, this only increased due to the access to additional, if currently expensive, resources. and with Rieze Maxia also being rich with resources and willing to increase the economy, coordinating to create a fun place where both citizens could enjoy was easier than expected. had a few bumps along the way, of course, including whether the location would adversely affect the neighboring towns, but after several months of planning and clearing out the monsters, a large portion of the Kijara Seafalls had been converted to something like a water park resort. using the natural formations already existing, including the many waterfalls, the company in charge of this endeavor managed to recreate the setting to include natural made water slides and of course the many variety of natural and artificial pools—casual ones to just sit and relax, larger ones to just swim around, wave pools, and even a section for some heated ones.

technology wise, it's a combination of spirit artes, spyrix, and spyrites. the use of spyrix had been as minimal as possible, but their world isn't quite there with replacing it with spyrite. however, it has been designed so that the conversion would be seamless, and it helps that the park is indeed mostly naturally made.

so during the following summer of their last adventure, Alvin had received two tickets to its opening. a gift for being a Svent. although he isn't really "part of the family" anymore, he can't exactly say he didn't like the few perks that come his way. free gifts definitely were one of them. now the problem is...would he actually go? If so, who would he ask? or should he just give them both away? but even with those questions, he was already thinking, "Leia would probably kill to have these." and well, that made his decision for him.

and so invite her he did and here they are at the Kijara Seafalls Resort. the opening ceremony had been a "splashing" hit and the place is packed with a variety of people from esteemed invited guests to those who managed to purchase tickets to every day families who won the lottery prize. and a lot of kids. a lot of kids.

and like everyone else, he's dressed in casual swimming shorts, sandals, sunglasses, and a loose unbuttoned shirt.]

Well the lines are going to be insane, I can tell you that much. So what should we try out first?

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Unfortunately for you, there's nothing that special in there. [though he does take his GHS because he should probably have that on him, anyway. he is also going to start turning toward the direction of the food stand.] So don't try looking in there while I'm gone, all right? I'm trusting you with it.

[a slight pointed look that looks far less joking or serious than it would have been otherwise as he starts to walk off. because suddenly leaving feels like the thing he should do. or maybe it's an old reflex of getting away before things get too troublesome.

...troublesome?]

You can count on me!

[ she gives him a quick salute.

once he's out of her line of sight, she turns her attention to digging through her own bag, because she needs to do something to distract herself. her heartbeat has slowed somewhat, but her face still feels warm, so. anything to take her mind off of the situation at hand for the time being.

she ends up pulling her GHS out, probably to bother jude with some texts or play a game to pass the time, and after a little bit of that, a guy ends up approaching her and tries to start up a conversation. since she's not exactly shy (nor is she rude enough to flat-out tell him to go away when she realizes he might be trying to hit on her), that's probably what she's going to be doing whenever alvin gets back. ]

[ha ha ha yeah that was so damn awkward and he's not even sure why it was. that kind of thing is something he would normally just brush off. maybe actually tease her about it and rile her up more. but that isn't what he did, so it's...strange. maybe it's a sign he's progressing and becoming more considerate of his actions? except he still ran away, so there's that.

well what's done is done and so long as she doesn't make a big deal out of, then he won't either. a little awkward, but nothing they can't really get past. at any rate, he'll have his own distraction. after getting their orders in, the very same VIP passes that allowed him to get through the lines faster is what also catches the attention of a few young girls. attractive ones, obviously looking for attention and perhaps scoring a new date.

or so he thinks when they approach him as he's making his way back to their table. he actually hadn't noticed them until they pat his shoulder and greet him. well this has been a while—him actually being "picked up." he's within view of their table, too, and while he's giving his naturally charming smile and just giving polite greeting, he steels a glance over and...

....hold on. is that a guy over there talking to Leia? probably hitting on her. so is she actually just conversing with him or... ...nah, this is Leia. she's just probably being polite. unlike him who is only half-paying attention the girls until one of them actually loops her arm around his and making her assets known. not that they're bad. actually he'd probably rate them a—

hold on, not the time. but he's going to be trying to extract himself while politely and charmingly refusing their invitations.

so it's going to take a little while longer for him to get back, which she might notice since those girls can be a little loud.]

[ she does indeed notice. at first, she doesn't think much of what she sees— that is, alvin talking to girls— because she figures that maybe they just ran into each other and were having a quick chat, or... something like that. then she notices that one of the girls has her arm looped around his and. well. it's kind of hard not to make assumptions in a situation like that. the thing is, for some reason, it makes her feel a little hurt and maybe even kind of annoyed. and hadn't he said that he wasn't going to try to pick up girls while they were here?

by this point, the guy she's talking to probably has definitely noticed that her mind is elsewhere, since she keeps sneaking glances toward alvin and the girls as their conversation continues. he even seems to have an inkling of what's going on, because he eventually gives her a quick pat on the shoulder before excusing himself and leaving her at the table by herself. ]

[he finally manages to get away from those girls. they had even tried to get his number. damn he knows he's a stud, but he had food, man. though it is kind of strange to think that just a year ago if he had a GHS in those days, he'd probably swap numbers. but that's then, this is now, and now he needs to head back to the girl who is still waiting for him.

so when he gets back—]

Sorry that took a while—got held up. [and not elaborating further as he glances around.] What happened to that guy who was here?

[ normally, she would be happy to see him. she would probably welcome him back, play around a little, make a joke about how she's starving, the whole nine yards. as it is, she looks sort of grumpy when he finally makes his way back to the table. ]

Yeah, I kinda noticed. [ and she sounds pretty grumpy too. she's trying not to— really, she is— but it's coming through a little anyway. ] He left a little while ago.

[ not that she minds that too much, aside from the fact that she wishes she could have gotten herself out of the conversation in a more graceful way. ]

What happened to those girls you had with you?

[as he sets the tray down and starts to lower himself into his seat opposite her, he notices her tone and her look, and he looks at her a bit puzzled. but before he could ask, she had asked a question.]

Ah...you saw that? [since he's assuming it must have been the guy who caused her dour mood, he's going to be oblivious that he could have been the reason.] Crazy, right? I kept trying to get away from them, but they were persistent. Well, then again I can't blame them too badly. I am a pretty good catch.

[he's attempting to lighten the mood by joking a little with his ego as he thinks she'd just laugh and counter with something opposite. divert the attention away from her little "pick up" problem with his own. if only that assumption were true.....]

Edited 2014-12-07 20:28 (UTC)

[ once he puts the tray down, she immediately snags her drink from it and takes a long sip. she doesn't look any happier when she hears his joke, either. ]

I dunno, you looked pretty happy to be talking to them. Are you sure you don't wanna go catch up with them?

[ since he had been all smiley when he was talking to them. and why does she even care so much? she knows this is something that they could normally joke around about, but as it is, she just frowns a little more. ]

[his grin falters and turns into a slight frown of his own as he looks at her, that look of confusion returning as he straightens up a bit.]

Hey, did something happen? Was it that guy?

[or...is it really something he did? but this is weird coming from Leia.]

He was kind of a jerk, but that's not it.

[ she huffs out a sigh and drums her fingers on the table. how does she even explain this? she feels annoyed with him, but she knows in the back of her mind that she has no real reason to be, which just adds to her frustration. he hadn't done anything wrong— what happened before he left was an accident, and he apparently hadn't been trying to pick those girls up— but she can't shake how she feels. ]

I guess I'm just annoyed.

That I can tell.

[said lightly. he's trying to figure this out so thinking back about what she was saying before... ?]

It's not me is it? You're not actually bothered by those girls, are you?

No way! That's not how it is!

[ she just kind of. blurts that out.

except that's exactly how it is. that's not how it should be, probably, but she only started feeling agitated with him (as opposed to how awkward she felt before he left) when she saw him with those girls. hearing him joke about it so casually didn't help much, either. neither does the fact that she's still hungry, so she grabs her hotdog from the tray and bites into it with a little more force than necessary before she continues. ]

I don't care if you hang out with other girls. If that's what you wanna do, more power to you.

[ denial isn't just a river in egypt— ]

[uh. yeah—]

Okay, in my experience when a girl says she's not bothered by something in that kind of tone, it actually means she is.

[Alvin, you must tread carefully. you are dealing with a teenager who is confusing you quite a bit right now.]

Come on, it's not like I was actually planning or even trying to get their attention. [sort of. look he's a walking chick magnet, he can't help it.] I was trying to get back here as soon as I could, but they were really determined. I think they just saw my VIP bracelet and figured they'd get an easy ride or something.

[also, why does he feel like he's trying to defend or explain himself? this is weird. though even weirder that Leia seems to actually be bothered by this.]

Like I said, it doesn't bother me!

[ she's trying to stamp out the part of her that's bothered by it, at least, because she knows this probably isn't fair to him. ]

You know how it is! I was just getting hungry [ she takes another big bite from her hotdog for emphasis here ] and I started getting cranky, that's all.

[ clearly the most convincing argument ever. ]

[yeah. he's definitely not convinced. but he also knows when he shouldn't push so he'll step back a bit as he takes his own slushie.]

All right, all right. If you say so.

[and tone indicates he's not convinced, but just going to start eating. first the accidental "kiss" and now this. what happened to their fun, good mood?]

[ and cue some awkward, silent eating. because even if she feels like she's probably being stupid and even if she hates that she got mad at him in the first place, settling back into their normal routine is kind of hard after a hiccup like that.

and when she finishes her food (which happens notably faster than it typically does), she takes her trash and her slushie and abruptly stands. ]

I'm going to toss this out and walk around for a little while, okay?

[ the fact that she wants to get away and clear her mind goes unspoken, but her eagerness to leave might show that, because she actually starts moving away from the table as she's speaking. ]

[he looks up from his burger in slight surprise. yes the atmosphere had been awkward, but she's still upset?]

Mf—[oh right he has food in his mouth. by the time he manages to swallow it down, she's already well on her way to the trashcan. a sigh.]

Man, what the hell did I do? [since it's becoming clearer that it is something he did. is it all back from the kiss? or was it the girl thing? or maybe it was actually the guy thing?? should he have pushed and asked more about it?]

...Guess I'll give her some time before following after her.

[upset girls, particularly teenage ones, are always troublesome. some want you to follow them, some want you to leave them alone, and he has no idea how he should handle Leia. if she's not going to tell him that it's probably pointless to try and wring it out of her—it might just aggravate the situation. so he'll stay there and finish his food, but he's not exactly feeling...great about it. once he's done, he'll get up, clear everything away, and check his GHS. should he text her? wait for her to text him? ...she does have her GHS right? he's not even sure.

but he'll start walking in the direction she went to and try to see if he can find her.]

[ she's strolling around at a pretty leisurely pace, watching people and taking peeks at rides and attractions, so she doesn't actually get too far from where their table had been. at one point, she even considers just turning around and going back— partly because she left her bag behind, but mostly because she feels bad for leaving so suddenly— but she decides against it. with how snappy she got, it would probably just cause more trouble, and that's the last thing she wants. they came here to have fun, after all.

so, she just sort of... wanders, thinking about their exchange as she goes. she can recognize that she was annoyed because she was jealous, but the "why" of it all is escaping her. alvin is her friend, just like everybody else in their little group, and though they've gotten very close over time, she doesn't usually get jealous over things like this. she had gotten jealous when she first met up with jude, sure, but that was a very different situation.

eventually, all of her thinking gets old and she decides that, even if she doesn't have a real explanation for why she got so bent out of shape, she's cooled off enough to head back. she doesn't feel annoyed or jealous, just kind of... guilty, so it should be fine, she figures. she's also not quite paying attention to where she's going when she turns herself around and starts walking, so— ]

[Leia why did you leave your bag. how is he supposed to contact you if you don't have it?? (because where else is she going to put that GHS) or so he's thinking when he realizes she had left her bag and while he won't go through it, it does make him sigh, both bags slung over his shoulder.

but where could she have gone? the park is huge and although he knows what direction she had headed, he's not sure where she could have turned. toward the other attractions, maybe?

he's glancing upward at one of the larger ones, wondering if she'd even want to still go on them when he feels someone run into him pretty hard.]

Whoa, sorry—[he quickly extends an arm to catch and/or steady the person around the waist, almost half hugging them to him. well good thing it's a girl, he can tell that much. but when he looks down he realizes who it is.] —Leia? [well, that makes it easy.]

[ she doesn't even see that coming, but when she feels an arm wrap around her to keep her from falling, she takes a look up and— ]

Alvin!

[ well, if nothing else, it's a relief that she didn't just ram into a complete stranger. ]

... sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going.

[ like this, it's a lot easier to shrug off what happened earlier, so she even manages a small, sheepish smile as she continues: ]

I was looking for you, though, so I guess I just lucked out.

Same here.

[he's a bit relieved, though. it looks like her mood's improved.]

Though next time you run off, you should take your bag with you.

[a slight teasing grin as he removes his arm and slips off her bag to hand to her.]

[ he was looking for her? well... ]

Yeah, about that—

[ she takes her bag and slings it over her shoulder as she takes a small step back from him, so she's not crowding his personal space anymore. ]

I'm sorry for getting all weird on you back there.

Don't worry about it. [he raises a hand and lightly places it on top of her head.] And if it's something I did, I'm sorry, too. [he wishes he knew what, but he does feel like he's involved somehow.]

But how about we hit some more rides?

[ that makes her smile a real, genuine smile, even if she bats his hand away after a moment. ]

Yeah, totally! I'm all refueled and ready to go.

[ yep, she's back to normal now, all right. ]

[a growing genuine smile of his own forms as he sees hers, as he's glad to see her energetic again. he definitely prefers this side of her more.]

All right then! Did you see any that caught your interest?