highfiving | (no subject)

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[ after their "date", leia really does take the time to think about everything that happened, from the tension, to the kiss, to the dream that she can only vaguely remember. she even talks to elize about it, since... well, the rest of their group is compromised of people who are probably too busy to play advisor for her (like rowen and gaius), or people it would be way too awkward to talk to about this with (like jude and alvin himself). she's even a little quieter than normal when it comes to contacting alvin, and she definitely doesn't try to drag him out as much— especially not when she finally admits to herself why she's been so weird around him lately.

she likes him. not as a friend, or even as a best friend, but as something more. she's been through this whole song and dance before, which makes it worse, in a way. trust her to fall for her best friend again, right? and that's not even touching on the issues they've had in the past, or the fact that he's... a lot older than her, or any of the other reasons that tell her that this is probably something that she should keep to herself for the moment.

quiet as she may be toward him, though, that doesn't stop her from calling him up and asking if he'd like to spend new years together, and when she gets an affirmative answer, she can't help but feel a small thrill even if she knows she probably shouldn't. unlike her birthday, this isn't being framed as a date. as far as anyone but her is concerned, this is just two friends casually spending a holiday together, but just knowing that they'll get to do something like that really does make her happy.

that doesn't stop her from putting a little extra effort into her appearance, either— when the big day rolls around, even if she doesn't get very dressed up, she does spend time in front of the mirror fussing over her appearance for one of the first times in her life. while she would normally toss her hair up into a quick bun and call it a day, she actually opts to wear it down for once, combed out carefully so that it falls around her shoulders. she picks out her cutest sweater and shorts combo, too, because even if the weather reports say it's going to be chilly and potentially a little rainy, a small part of her wants to impress him. for him to think that maybe she's actually pretty cute.

she even gets to their decided meeting spot a little early (surprisingly, probably), an umbrella in hand, just in case the reports were right and it starts to drizzle at some point— it's already a little cloudy, so it's a very real possibility. she's pretty antsy about this meeting, too, if the way she keeps checking her GHS is anything to go by. she's only been waiting for him for a few minutes and there's still plenty of time to walk to the area they talked about watching the fireworks from since it's not too far away, but still. she kind of can't help herself at this point. ]

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[Now it's his turn to look at her in slight surprise.]

What, you expected something else? [And then it hits him. ...Sort of.] You didn't think I'd try to pick her up or something, did you?

[More like her parents were trying to pick him up for her, but close enough.]

[ that reaction all but solidifies the idea that he really was just in it for the business which is... sort of a relief. she wouldn't want to stand between him and someone he liked by any means, but knowing that he didn't go out of his way to pick someone up feels kind of nice. ]

Kind of. I mean, isn't that the kind of thing you usually do? You know, flirting with girls, laying the charm on them... that kind of thing!

What kind of image do you have of me? [He gives her a nudge with his elbow, but there's also a bit of a dry laugh.] Well I guess that's how I used to be. I guess I'm not really thinking about it right now.

[He could go on further, but instead he just gives her a sidelong glance.]

Suddenly interested in my love life, are you?

[ busted.

she cringes a little, diverting her gaze away from him so that she can look straight ahead. ]

N- No way! I was just sort of surprised. [ which is partially true, just... for different reasons than she might usually be. ] I guess I forget how much you've changed sometimes, that's all.

[ because even if he obviously has, it really doesn't feel like that long ago that he was like that. ]

[Uh...huh. Not quite the reaction he expected and he does look at her a little curiously now. But Leia is about to be spared since he first feels one drop and then another. He pauses long enough to hold out a hand and look up as the drops continue to fall.]

Looks like we got rain. Pass over the umbrella and I can hold it over us.

[ and she wastes no time in handing the umbrella over, because thank you subject-changing spirits. ]

Let's hope it lets up before they start setting off fireworks!

[ because they probably won't be able to set them off if it keeps up, even if it's only drizzling at this point. ]

[He takes the umbrella and opens it, raising his hand a bit so that it's high enough to cover the both of them.] They still have about an hour, right? Though it would be a letdown.

If it does get cancelled, want to do something else?

[He moves closer toward her, and she might not notice, but he's making sure she gets complete coverage.]

Well, we're already out and about, so... sure, why not!

[ she takes a small step closer to him, too, because she actually doesn't notice (and maybe she subconsciously wants to be a little closer to him, anyway). ]

What do you feel up to?

[ preferably something that doesn't involve rain. just in case. ]

Well if it's for celebrating, you know a bar is the only obvious choice.

[A grin.]

But since you're still not really much of a drinker...we could probably just go out someplace that's open to eat. Maybe catch a late night movie if any are open.

Otherwise there's always my place since we're closer to it. [He snaps his fingers.] Which reminds me—I got that new DVD that came out. The one you wanted to see but we never got a chance because of work.

[ yeah, her and alcohol aren't going to be mixing for a while, and the idea of watching a movie alone with him at his place is... a little much for her, too. that would really be veering into date-like territory, so— ]

Dinner and a movie doesn't sound too bad! And I'll probably have to stop by sometime to check out that DVD, too.

[ just. not tonight. ]

If I knew you had it, I would've asked you to bring it along.

Bring it along? [...Why would he bring it...oh wait, for her to borrow?]

You know, so I could borrow it?

[ come on alvin get with the program. ]

What, don't want to watch it together? I was actually kind of interested in it, too.

All right, all right. I'll stop by sometime soon and we can watch it together.

[ and she elbows him playfully. ]

Is that better?

Yes. [A grin before he looks back forward and they continue forward. It's getting more crowded despite the threat of rain, forcing Alvin to move closer to Leia.]

Man it's crowded. We might have to go higher up... Actually let's take that small alley up ahead. There's a side path that'll take us up to a higher terrace.

[ this is sort of shaping up to be like their trip to xian du, which means that as they head through the crowd and toward the alley, she's going to grab for his... hand? his arm? she's not really aiming for anything in particular, she just wants something to hold onto so they don't get separated. ]

That just means we'll have an even better view, right? No complaints here!

[Likely his arm since it's the inside hand holding the umbrella.]

Should be quieter, too.

[Or...... Full of couples. Because that's exactly what they'll find when they walk up the path, up the flights of stairs, and step onto the terrace. It's big and spacious with the beginnings of a small garden being made. There were a few lumen trees, obviously imported from Fennmont. But while it's not exactly crowded, there quite a few couples already situated on benches or by the railings.

This.......had not been what Alvin expected, though in hindsight, he probably should have.]

...Well...relatively quieter. [Speaking of quiet, he hadn't heard or felt much rain lately, so he tilts the umbrella slightly before shaking it off a bit to close it.] At least it's stopped raining.

[ of course there would be couples. of course. but the rain stopping is a good thing! so she's going to focus on that, releasing her hold on his arm. normally she might keep holding on because hanging off of him has become surprisingly natural, but now it's too weird for her. she folds her arms behind her back instead, looking around the terrace as she does. ]

Looks like it all worked out in the end!

[ no rain and a quieter, less crowded place to watch the fireworks from. if she tries her hardest to shove everything else from her mind (like the fact that she can see a couple getting kind of lovey-dovey out of the corner of her eye), then this really is a good spot. ]

Wanna find a place to sit before it starts?

[ they've probably got a little more time to kill, but snagging some spots early never hurt anyone, right? ]

Yeah, let's see...

[A place where couples aren't all over each other would be nice. After a little bit of scanning, he spots an open bench that seems like it would be a good enough view.]

Over there seems like a good enough candidate. [And already walking forward.

For a second he almost reached out for her hand, but all the couples around also makes him restrain himself.]

[ if he had taken her hand, she might have actually tried to pull it away on reflex, so it's probably better for both of them that he didn't.

but she follows close behind him either way, plopping down on the bench once they reach it and stretching her legs out as she does. then, she fishes out her GHS to check the time (and if he's close enough to see the screen, he might be able to see that she hasn't changed her wallpaper since their "date"). they blew a surprising amount of time walking, so midnight is just around the corner at this point. ]

So, how should we spend our last few minutes of the year?

[He does glance over, mostly curious about the time, and does notice the wallpaper. Funny thing...he actually hasn't changed his either. Whether that's a conscious decision, being lazy, or that it's still a hilarious shot that cracks him up every time he sees it, who knows. But she's asked a question and now he has to answer.]

Tradition would be to think about the past year and coming up with new year's resolutions, so we could start with that.

All right! I'll go first.

[ and now she's going to put her GHS away.

though she's not typically much of a thinker, a new year's resolution is something worth thinking long and hard about. it needs to be something good— something worth working toward. given leia's deeply rooted appreciation for hard work, it could probably be anything and she would still try her hardest to fulfill it, so that just makes it a little harder.

she goes quiet for a moment, considering and turning various options over in her head. ]

That deal we made about keeping up with my deadlines kinda covers my bases with work, so... [ what else can she resolve to see through to the very end in the coming year? none of the typical "be less lazy, get in shape, quit a bad habit" resolutions really fit her, so maybe it should be something more personal? if she thinks about it that way, one thing in particular comes to mind, but it's not something she can tell him. ]

Okay, I think I've got mine!

[ she's going to try to keep it a secret unless he manages to pry it out of her, though, so that's all she has to say on the matter for the time being. ]

[He watched her with mild curiosity, seeing her expression changing slightly as she thought, but not really able to tell what she's thinking. He could have easily guessed the work part, but when he expects her to continue and instead she ends it with that? Well his curiosity is piqued even more.]

Come on, you can start like that and leave me hanging. So not missing deadlines and...something else?

[ should she tell him? she has to think about that for a moment— mainly about how to word it so that things won't be weird between them— but apparently the answer to that question is yes. ]

I'm not sure how easy it'll be, but there's someone I want to make happy.

[ she means that genuinely, too. that's her personal, non-work related resolution, even if she's guilty of omitting the fact that the person in question is him. she's not sure when she'll be able to get up the nerve to tell him how she feels, but... working hard to keep his spirits up? that's something she can do. she's done it once already, back when jude was the object of her affections, after all. ]

[And once again, curiosity and interest piqued.]

Oh? [A grin forms as he leans in closer to her.] Someone, huh? Sounds like someone caught your eye.

[He's teasing of course. It didn't have to be a sign of some crush. Hell, it could be her editor. The guy seemed like he could loosen up a bit. Maybe even a co-worker. So he'll let her slide by not teasing her too badly.]

Well I'm sure you'll be able to do it. Can't imagine someone not getting cheered up with that positive personality of yours. [And then a small playful nudge with his elbow.] Just don't overdo it.