post palace hot pot party (week 7)

[townmusician]

[Yoon's Palace has faded away, but the fact the God of Conflict decided to show up and intervene again...

Well, that's! Not a good sign! To say the least! But there's nothing to be done about that right now, and Haruka isn't of the mind to really sit and wonder about divine conflicts and grandstanding and all of that, anyways. It's not his problem. The people who deal with that sort of thing on the regular can be in charge of all of that.

What he's in charge of (by virtue of being annoying) is... hot pot. Specifically rounding up everyone and dragging them out to a hot pot restaurant in the city.

He'll miss having money but... he'll just have to work hard to earn it back... Have fun, everyone. (Or maybe he can find a way to charge Mina for this?)]

Comments

[bloodandstars]

[ Maika frowns, just watching Aerith quietly for a few moments. She doesn't rush her yet, not wanting to break the momentary concentration if something is close to surfacing. ]

...Where do you feel it? Racing heart? Or like you need to run?

[gardenful]

[ And again, she shakes her head. ]

Nothing like that.

[ It isn't a tightening of her chest or a rush of adrenaline. No, it's something that roots her in place instead, fills her heart with a sort of strength that feels familiarly foreign. ]

I feel... resolve.

[ Like this is a feeling she can stand up to with no problem. ]

[bloodandstars]

[ Huh. Considering the context... Maika doesn't know if she's more reassured by that, or not. Her eyes narrow a little in thought. ]

Huh. Most memories... when they vanish, it's because your mind can't figure out how to hold them yet. But that doesn't sound like a bad one.

[ Necessarily. Maybe. She feels uneasy. ]

[gardenful]

I can't remember enough of it to know if it is... outside of those feelings, everything else is blank.

[ Her hands fall into her lap, and she clasps them together. ]

I don't like it.

[bloodandstars]

[ Yeah... neither does Maika. She hesitates for a while longer before she reaches over and settles her hand briefly over Aerith's. ]

Something else might still come back to you. Let's try not getting you stabbed again to find out.

[ But what else can she do? She hates problems that she can't take a swing at.]

[gardenful]

[ She lets the warmth of Maika's hand settle over hers for a moment or two before she slips her hand out from underneath it.

But her hand is back soon enough, properly taking Maika's hand in her own. There's some slight hesitation, a touch of apprehension, but she twines their fingers together. For such a simple gesture, it feels monumental.

Or maybe that's just Aerith. ]

I can't make any guarantees, but I'll try my best. Sometimes situations like that just find me.

[bloodandstars]

[ From the momentary unrestrained surprise that flickers across Maika's face — it's definitely not just Aerith. Maika's fingers flex slightly, but she doesn't withdraw them. ]

That's like saying a storm just "finds" you at sea. That's what the ocean is. You find them because you set out in the first place.

[ Because Aerith sticks her nose out for people, she means. Not that she's pretending it's all bad, when the reciprocal is what saved her this time. ]

[gardenful]

[ No withdrawal is an answer on Maika's part, isn't it? Aerith will take it as one, at least. ]

So you're saying I look for trouble...?

[ More or less, right? ]

I guess I do. I can't really help myself. I just do that kind of thing without thinking about it.

[bloodandstars]

[ Maika's too decisive for it to be anything else — although for a second, with the glance she flicks at Aerith's face, it's clear she knows Aerith can infer as much and she's half waiting for the callout. ]

I'm saying you don't know how to run from it. And you'll probably never learn. Compassion is the most reckless kind of fearlessness.

[ It's not a criticism, though. Maika folds her fingers a little to squeeze Aerith's hand lightly. ]

Looks like courage and friendship won the day, this time.

[gardenful]

[ Her shoulders relax just a bit. There's no callout this time, but a small sense of relief instead, a bit of happiness she can hold onto just as tightly as Maika's hand. ]

Which is a case for my argument that courage and friendship can overpower anything.

[ She grins, a little bit brighter this time. ]

Gonna make it a lot harder now to not run headfirst into danger.

[bloodandstars]

[ Aerith has Maika's hand captive right now, so she can't make any physical gesture to express her discontent at that... but she can snort, at least, so she does. ]

As if you needed a case for that to make up your mind.

[ Troublesome, steadfastly optimistic. Maika shoots her a sidelong glance that lingers. ]

...Fine. You're not going to outfly me on those legs.

[ If she's running into danger, Maika will just have to run grumpily after. She's already learned about the efficacy of threatening idealists... which is nonexistent. ]

[gardenful]

So you'll chase me, will you?

[ That brings even more brightness back to her expression, especially as her voice edges on teasing. Slowly but surely, she's warming back up again, the frosty cold from her near death experience earlier beginning to melt away. ]

That kinda makes me want to run into even more danger.

[bloodandstars]

And that makes me want to string you up by your tail. If you had one.

[ She already knows that Aerith can read the empty bluster in that — or maybe, just beneath it, the way the memory of that sword swinging down towards Aerith can make her heart stop cold. She gives a wordless little grumble and shoves her shoulder more firmly against Aerith's. ]

[gardenful]

Hmmm. That doesn’t sound too bad.

[ She grins, finally, giving that hand a squeeze when Maika presses against her under the guise of a shove. ]

[bloodandstars]

You can say that because you've never had one.

[ Neither has Maika, but that's not the point! She snorts quietly as emphasis. For just a moment her eyes half-close. ]

Why are you so hell-bent on me chasing you, anyway?

[gardenful]

[ Why does she indeed? That little question has her lost in her thoughts for a moment, the din of the rest of their table fading away. ]

Because it means I've got your attention.

[ Softly, so only Maika can hear. ]

[bloodandstars]

[ Reflexively, almost guiltily, Maika's fingers flex against Aerith's as she glances away. It isn't easy to see on her, but there's a tiny bit of a flush creeping up her face. ]

...Well, you have it. For whatever it's worth. I already told you, you're hard to look away from.

[gardenful]

[ She glances at Maika in her periphery, allowing a contemplative silence to lapse between them.

There's a small smile on her lips, however. ]

You know what's funny? I feel the same way about you.

[ Her eyes tend to find Maika no matter what, after all. ]

[bloodandstars]

[ It is funny. And cosmically improbable, absurd, and unreasonable. That's why the question is out before Maika can check herself: ]

Why?

[ But she ducks her head after a second, her gaze drifting towards the rest of the group. Their conversation is quiet enough that it's basically private, even in a setting like this. But she hadn't meant to ask at all, let alone with a possible audience. ]

Never mind. You don't need to tell me.

[gardenful]

[ That possible audience, in addition to her own reservations about what this could mean and what that means about her own past relationship, is what deters her from saying anything.

There's a pause, hesitant as she gives Maika's hand another squeeze. ]

I'll tell you soon. Promise.

[bloodandstars]

[ Maika squeezes her hand back and gives a nod of agreement, her brow furrowing briefly. Even she's not sure what the emotion twisting in her stomach is this time. Disappointment? Relief? Anticipation? All of those?

Whatever. She can think about that... later. What matters now is that Aerith is here and unhurt. ]

...Fine. Rest up first. [ After the battle they had... Maika chases that thought, silent for a few long beats as she considers it. ] And if you want company, we don't have to talk.

[gardenful]

Thanks.

[ She means it, her voice full of that meaning despite the softness of her tone.

When she can rest and think clearly... she'll know what she wants to say. Probably.

Navigating this sort of thing never gets any easier, after all, but hopefully parsing her thoughts won't be so troublesome once the whirlwind of this palace is further behind her. ]