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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Guess we'll just alternate, huh? [and he's on the tube raft thing. though he does notice something. he clearly has some straps to hold onto but...there only seems to be one set.]

You got it!

[ she moves to sit behind him, though she gives him room and doesn't crowd him more than she has to, and... this is a little different from the raft they were on last time, so it takes her a minute to realize what exactly is missing. then: ]

So, where am I supposed to hold on?

You know, I was wondering the same thing—

[and then one of the female staff just smiles wildly and tells her to hold onto his waist of course! and she'll lean in close to Leia and give her a wink, saying how lucky she is and sigh how she wished she could be in her place.

meanwhile, Alvin will just be facing forward and thinking, I can hear that, you know.

but well. that answers that.]

[ she almost makes a point of saying that they're not really together and how she's not really all that lucky, but that would probably hold up the line, so instead she scoots forward and wraps her arms around his waist. she's actually holding on pretty tightly (because their last ride was really fast and wild, and she's not about to take any chances), with her front pressed flush against his back. then, she leans in a bit so she can speak quietly enough that the staff won't hear her. ]

Jeez, is there anyone who doesn't go nuts over you?

[ first the girls from earlier, and now the staff. even if she can kind of see why— especially being this close to him— it's kind of incredible. luckily, she doesn't sound too bothered this time around. ]

[he's a bit surprised as to how tight she's holding onto him, but it's not too bad and he rolls with it fairly easily. it's one of those things he doesn't pay any particular mind or attention to. what does however, is feeling her pressing against his back. apparently her chest is more than he—

aaaaand that is totally not something you should be thinking about your best friend here, Alvin. natural? sure, he's a guy. his mind goes there easily. but in this case, it's not exactly...well.

fortunately, her voice breaks through his thoughts.]

Well—could count you in that small club.

[he's half tilting his head back to glance back at her and he says this in his usual teasing voice. just playing it smooth despite his earlier somewhat disrupting thought. and then the staff move in to help set them in position, so before Leia could answer.....down they go!]

[ honestly, he's not the only one with a wandering mind. he's a guy, but she's a teenager, and that's probably just as bad in some ways, because with her arms curled around him like they are, she kind of can't help but wonder if he's always been this toned. so. that's definitely one of the reasons girls like him so much, right?

except that train of thought is (luckily?) cut a little short, because she sees the curve of the first turn getting closer and closer when she looks over his shoulder, and— ]

Here it comes!

Hold on!

[she could probably feels his muscles tighten in excited anticipation as he braces himself. and around the bend and down they goooo! Alvin can feel that he could make this a lot more of a wild ride like before, but he won't. it helps that the turns are wider, making them a little smoother, and the slopes aren't as steep. still fast, though, and the water splashes high as they continue to go through the slide. so instead he'll just help guide the raft around but otherwise just let the ride take them, letting out a few whoops and yells as they do.]

Believe me, I am!

[ she tries to keep the screaming to a minimum, since she's pretty close to his ear, so as they go around the first bend, she mostly just laughs— it's very exuberant, happy laughter, so there's that— and makes sure she keeps her hold on him.

as they continue down the slide, she does loosen her grip just a little, so she can toss her head back and let out an excited shout of her own, though. this isn't as heart-pounding as the other slide they went on, but it's definitely fun in its own way.

and they're probably toward the end of the slide at this point, so she's going to hold on tightly again, just to be safe. they shot out pretty fast last time, so— ]

[shoot out they do—though this time it's not as nice and smooth of a landing. given it's designed for them to land in the water and flip over, that's exactly what happens. so they're going to get complete dunked into the water. not too roughly but still. he'll be resurfacing laughing, though, a hand reaching out to grab the overturned tube raft and hang onto it.]

[ she takes a moment longer to resurface, but she's laughing when she does. that was an unexpected surprise, but clearly not an unwelcome one. she ends up having to blindly feel around for the raft, though, because she's also wrestling with getting her hair out of her eyes as she goes. her hand kind of. bumps into his in the process. ]

That was great!

[ and she grins up at him. ]

[he won't think much about the bump as he just continues to laugh at her.]

Right? And there are still, what, three more? I can't remember. [chuckles before he reaches over and brushes back some more of her hair away from her face because wow.] Should we head out and hit the next one?

[ she raises her eyebrows a bit when he pushes back her hair because that's. not something she expected to happen. but she lets it slide otherwise. they're friends, and friends do things like that sometimes (probably), so it's not a big deal. ]

You bet! I think I wanna try steering it around this time, though. Think you can handle that?

[ because he's done it twice now, and she kind of wants to give it a try for herself. ]

[consider it an automatic gesture.]

Hah, think you can handle it?

Yeah, of course! Why wouldn't I be able to?

[ don't underestimate her, okay. ]

It can be pretty hard you know, especially with all the weight on there.

[and he starts swimming and guiding the raft to the exit.]

Are you trying to say I'm not strong enough?

[ and she'll help him get the raft there, because she's nice. ]

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe.

Come on, I'm super strong! [ she pouts. ] I bet I could even beat you in a fight, if I wanted to.

Oh really? I'm pretty sure last time I—

[and then he stops short because "last time" wasn't exactly...well, it wasn't for fun, that's for sure, and he's reminded of her scar on her shoulder. instead he clears his throat.]

Just be careful what you bet.

[is what he ends up saying, and fortunately for him, they're at the exit dock and he's quick to pull himself out of the water to then help bring up the raft.]

[ she goes quiet as she pulls herself out of the water, because she's not quite sure what to say to that. last time hadn't been for fun, but it's in the past— she's over it, and she's stronger now, anyway. probably not stronger than he is, but strong enough.

she wants to tell him that, but this isn't the right place for a soul-baring conversation, so she ends up elbowing him lightly, instead. ]

So, am I ever gonna get to find out why you hate betting so much?

[ subject change is go. ]

[she has learned well.]

I've just seen too many people get caught up and come out with the worst. [there may be something to it in his past, but his statement is also true.

and maybe Balan. it is not impossible to imagine his childhood filled with simple bets and losing all the time to his older cousin.]

I just don't like taking that big of a risk. If I bet, it's only if I know I can win or if the loss isn't really that big of a deal.

That's a pretty serious answer.

[ so, in the interest of trying to get things back on their previous, light-hearted track, she shoots him a cheeky grin. ]

I was totally expecting there to be some story about how you bet your way right into a compromising position as a kid.

[ don't think she's not going to remember that he'll make bets if the stakes are low, though. ~~because she has a very mild gambling problem, let's be real~~. ]

[there's a bit of a chagrin there.]

There might be, but I'm not telling it.

Seriously?

[ wait for it... ]

Not even if we made a bet for it? That wouldn't be a huge loss for you, right?

[really, Leia.]

You really want to bet on something, don't you.