highfiving | (no subject)

(no subject)

[ with her latest idea for an article revolving around the different ways that people from Rieze Maxia lived, it was only right that Leia would need to do some legwork before she could start writing. even if she had been born and raised there, she didn't know all of the ins and outs of every city, and besides— research was an important part of journalism.

of course, even the best reporters needed ~~sidekicks~~ help once in a while so, naturally, she had decided to drag Alvin along on her little adventure. he wasn't bad company these days, and she figured he would be especially useful when it came to their first stop: Xian Du.

... which brings her to where she is now, knocking on the door to his room in Kanbalar's inn. ]

Hey! Are you ready? We should probably head out soon, you know.

[ she might sound a little impatient, but there's no real bite behind her words; even if they're out here on business (sort of), she's not that uptight. ]

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You're just feeling nosy, aren't you?

[ because that seems a lot more plausible than him wanting to hook her up with someone. then, after a moment: ]

Why don't I ever get to ask you questions like this?

[ and she elbows him a little. ]

I don't remember you ever really trying.

[the better question is: why does he always tend to skirt around the topic and redirect.]

Why? Interested?

Yeah, kind of! We're friends, but I don't really know that much about you.

[ not even smaller things, like the types of questions he's been asking her. ]

Wouldn't you get curious if you were in my shoes?

Well given that you're a reporter now, I'm not too surprised.

[though more about him, huh...]

Well I did say I'd be more honest and open about myself. [to a degree.] Guess if you really want to you could.

That's the spirit!

[ and she grins up at him. ]

So, what kinds of questions am I allowed to ask?

[ because as curious as she might be, she also doesn't want to pry too much. things could get awkward if she pushed him to say too much at once. ]

You're not going to start asking them now are you?

[not exactly the best setting. but he still answers her question.]

But...hm, guess that's a tough one, huh. [it's not that he's intending to keep secrets, it's more of...well. some things are just topics one doesn't talk about easily, though in some ways it has gotten easier. like getting it off his chest.] I guess whatever you think you can handle. You already know my past isn't pretty, so just be careful where you dig.

Nope, I'll spare you that much.

[ and it's not just because this is an awful place to have a serious discussion. she also wants to take her time and think of some good questions. ]

You'd better believe I'm going to ask them as soon as the time is right, though!

[a slight wry look and half wondering if he's going to regret this.]

Just don't turn it into some news piece, all right?

Come on, you know I'd never do that.

[ she might get way too into hunting down her next big scoop sometimes, and the sordid life of alfred vint svent would be a great title for an article, but she has tact. ]

Anything you tell me stays between us, all right?

I'm holding you to that.

[he does give her hand a slight squeeze, indicating that he really does trust her and just half-joking around. but seriously don't publish anything.

unless it's to say he's the most eligible bachelor.]

Anyway, we're almost there.

[and so they are! once again the crowds are crowing as the cross over and approach the central plaza. a lot of lights, music, chatter, and, of course, dancing.]

[ ~~they're cute—~~

her excitement grows as they approach the plaza, and by the time they actually get there, she looks really happy. she even picks up her pace, so it's a good thing she still hasn't let go of his hand. if anything, she's holding it tighter than before. ]

This is seriously awesome!

[ she's never seen anything quite like it. leronde may have had a few traditions of its own, but it was nothing like this, and trigleph couldn't really compare, either. ]

I wasn't expecting it to be like this. [ and after she takes a look around, she turns so she can look at him. her excitement (and her sudden change of pace) has her a little bit breathless. ] I don't even know what I'm going to write about first.

[ the atmosphere, the crowds, the dancing itself— she wants people to know about all of it, but she also knows that brevity is her friend, so. ]

[~~the most—~~

he's letting her take the lead, matching her pace fairly well. he's also watching her expressions change. it's a bit amusing, and without realizing it he's also grinning a bit, which only widens as he hears her comments.]

Well, maybe instead of just watching and writing about other people do...

[only now does he release her hand, both now placing themselves on her shoulders as he turns her to face the crowd of people dancing through the square.]

How about giving it a go instead!

[and PUSH. she's going to find herself right in the middle of a circle, and rather than breaking the pace, a woman grabs her hand and starts spinning her into the pattern. fortunately there are other people who have no clue what the hell they're doing and are just moving and clapping their hands as they try to keep along. it's not too complicated of a dance—just circles as people step and bounce in time to the music while clapping and swinging around with their partner before it moves forward for an exchange.

and Alvin? well he'll just be smirking on the sidelines with his arms crossed over his chest.

she probably should have seen this coming.]

[ because she trusts him, she doesn't see the push coming. she actually lets out a surprised yelp as she stumbles into the circle, and if it weren't for the fact that she was immediately swept up by the crowd, she would probably be glaring daggers at alvin right about now. instead, after a moment of hesitation, she works to keep up with the people around her.

if she thought watching the dancing was fun, actually participating in it surpasses her expectations. she bounces and twirls along with the other people in the circle, switching partners on occasion, and by the time she decides she's had enough (because it's more taxing than it looks, okay), she's almost as happy as she was before. she doesn't even look irritated when she breaks away from the crowd so she can make her way back to alvin. ]

You could've just asked me if I wanted to give dancing a try, you know!

[ and all of that movement jostled her hat a little, so she's going to. casually take a moment to fix it. ]

[she might want to take a look at her hair, a few strands may or may not have escaped some of those pins. but he just laughs as she approaches (and reproaches) him.]

Why ask when I already knew you wanted to? [smiiiirk.] Besides, you had fun, right? That's all that matters.

Yeah, it was pretty fun!

[ so fun that she considers trying to return the favor and pushing him into the crowd. she isn't sure how well it would work, though, so she decides against it after a moment. she'll find a different way of getting back at him when the time is right.

she also has no clue what kind of mess she made of her hair. ]

Now I can use some of my first-hand experiences when I'm writing, so that's a nice bonus, too.

[ now all she needs to do is talk to a few more people before the festival is over, and she'll probably have everything she needs. ]

[at least she didn't pull him in while she was out there. and he might not say anything—the hat covers most of it, anyway.]

And that should make your article sound more genuine. Easier to write about something when you relate to it, right? [winks.]

But there's still more ground to cover before the fireworks, and I actually know a pretty good spot.

[ he's on the mark about her article, which is something she would normally be very enthusiastic to talk about, but— ]

Fireworks?

[ clearly, she missed the memo about them. that, and she doesn't get to see fireworks very often. ]

All right! Go ahead and lead the way!

[ and she may or may not be reaching for his hand again. maybe. ]

What, now? There's still time, you know.

[if she is, he won't pull away. there might be a slight glance when he feels her hand brush against his, but he'll let her take it, his own fingers automatically wrapping around hers.]

[ she quickly ducks her head, bringing her free hand up to rub at the back of her neck. ]

I guess I got a little ahead of myself!

[ because she really wants to see the fireworks. for research purposes. but she's not going to pull her hand away, because it's crowded and they could still get separated. ]

Why don't we walk around and see if we can find anything else worth checking out while we wait?

[ like more interesting people, or another stall for her to empty her wallet at. ]

[how about grabbing some snacks while they're at it? maybe he'll even sneak a little gift purchase for her since she's been a good sport and having fun. might as well give her some physical mementos.]

Sounds like a plan to me. And tell you what—I'll even lead you down a winding way toward the place. It'll make it easier for when the time comes.

[also shall we timeskip to fireworks?]

[ snacks and a present are a definite yes. ]

The scenic route, huh? [ she would probably try to high five him if she didn't already have his hand, so she gives it a small squeeze instead. ] Let's get going, then!

[ and yes! timeskip away. ]

[all right all right. he leads her through the stalls and they can have their silly conversations as they go through. there will probably be a stall with masks and hats, and they'd probably goof around, putting one on each other and probably taking pictures with their GHS to send to everyone. maybe even buy a souvenir or two for everyone. when Leia is talking to people, Alvin will once again just be partly listening, partly networking, and partly looking around. there's one in particular that catches his interest, but when she finishes up he'll have long completed his own little task as well.

then there's the food. of course the food. by this time they've likely worked up an appetite to try the various samples. he'll even get them a couple of packs of Gaius' Dumplings—to be eaten later before the fireworks.

time will of course fly by and while everyone starts to gather in various places for the fireworks, Alvin, while still holding her hand firmly in his, leads her down some smaller side alleys and into a carved tunnel into the side of one of the cliff walls. there's not much inside and in fact looks as if no one really passes through it often.]

This was originally used as one of the look out "towers." [and down this corner...] There are a few of them around the town, but after the wars they fell into disuse and are now just generally open to the public. But not many people really know or use them anymore. [and there's the elevator. better than taking several flights of stairs.] I happened to find it when I was...seventeen?

[ time definitely flies by, and by the time that they're in the tunnel, leia is itching to see the fireworks. not even the sort of-scolding message she got from jude in response to the pictures she sent him is able to detract from her excitement. ]

Gee, thanks for the history lesson. [ of course, she's just getting in a joke; in actuality, it's always sort of interesting to hear about things like this. ] How'd you end up finding a place like this, though?

[ because it's kind of out of the way, and she can tell it doesn't see much traffic— she hasn't seen a single person since they got here, in spite of how over-crowded the streets are. ]

You want my info or not? [just giving her a wry look, but he's also teasing a bit.] I was just looking for places to sneak around. [because everyone knows he's good at that.] Of course this was pretty much a dead end, but I liked the view. Isolated, quiet.

So I just used it whenever I need to get away and clear my head for a while.

[of course he doesn't go into too much detail as to what exactly he was getting away from or he why would need to clear his head. she could probably figure out plenty of possible and probably right guesses.]

Of course I do! I was just messing around.

[ from what she knows, she can imagine a few possible reasons he would want to clear his head sometimes (she can't imagine being stranded so far from home, or having one of her parents fall ill, and even just being alone the way he was would probably make her want to hide away from time to time), but at the same time, she has to ask— ]

... so, what kind of things would you come here to get away from?

[ it's a little blunt, but it's the only way she knows how to say it. if it hurts his feelings, she can always just offer support, she figures. ]