dualisnet | UN: Almasy

[His reaction makes her laugh. She's not sure how she expected anything other than that. It's nice to see him be a little arrogant. Kind of makes her think of the Seifer she's used to seeing. That familiarity gives her a sense of security.

In those moments, she feels very safe and it's probably the first time she's felt that way since she's arrived. Although that's a little embarrassing to admit. Especially right now, of all moments.

Rinoa grins into her cup, using a moment or two to stall for a more proper response.]

Oh, yeah? Like you'd even know. I'm just full of surprises, Seifer. But I mean, if you wanna make a game out of it. I've got all the time in the world. But I'm gonna win. I don't like losing.

[Clearly it is time for strip poker.]

[Seifer's still in there. He's just not been doing that hot lately. It's a lot to adjust to, trying to figure out his place in the universe now that his only opportunity is completely fucked over. Where do you go when you've been thrown out so many times there's nowhere left for you?

Seeing her lighten up does help him relax some though. That familiar smile and laugh. It's nice to see her like this, with less weight holding them both down.]

Fine, if you don't want any answers. Ain't any skin off my nose.

[He offers flippantly, with a light shrug. Gentle, so as not to jostle her too much.]

[She softens then.

Nestling against him, she finds herself eyeing him once more.]

I was just wondering what you were thinking. Not that you have to share it or anything. I was thinking that... no matter how much I think I know you, I don't. I can only guess. I don't think any amount of time that we spent together would change that either. But that isn't a bad thing.

[Dipping her head, she rests chin to his shoulder thoughtfully.]

But if you feel like being talkative with me, by all means. I'm all ears.

What, right now? Wondering when this place is gonna turn on it's head and screw us.

[It's a rough explanation but it's not a lie. He worries about stuff like that a lot. Always trying to see what's ahead before they get there. Poking his nose where it doesn't belong. He'll continue doing that, too. Garden never appreciated it.]

You could guess, [He confirms.] Or you could ask. Beats the hell outta wondering doesn't it? Besides, I thought we agreed we've got time.

[This time it's not brief visits in between missions and leaves at Garden. Now they actually have all the time they want for that kind of thing. And Seifer's not quite as tight-lipped as Squall about everything. He just doesn't volunteer much to people he doesn't know well.]

Well, I didn't mean right now right now.

[Hyne, how does she even start talking about this kind of thing with him? Where do they begin? There's not a map that leads to these things, after all. Rinoa lifts a hand into her hair and shakes about her dark mane of hair.]

But yeah. I hear you. Anytime now, right? That's kind of why we have to be prepared.

[She finds her stare looking into her cup of cocoa, because it's a great deal easier looking at him, no matter how nice it is to be right there with him.]

I guess... I just don't really know what I'm doing. Here. With you. In general. Feels like everyone else always has a plan. I'm trying to have one. Acting like I do. Don't really, though. Just doing what I think feels right. I'm terrible at this. I'm supposed to be some great sorceress and I can't even hold a conversation. It sounds silly.

[She can't help but laugh.] And you've probably had your fill of heavy conversation. I should be leaving that to you and Squall. You guys were made for each other.

Oh.

[Well! She has to be more specific! How do conversations work? See, Rinoa evidently thinks that somehow Squall and Seifer have a method of actually talking to each other. They don't. They're very bad at it. Just like he is here with her.]

I'm getting there. Squall hasn't brought you down to the shop yet has he?

[Because he should have! What a rude Squall. Staring into the cocoa is safer, though Seifer finds himself watching her out of the corner of his eye instead. He huffs an amused, rueful sound through his nose.]

Wanna know a secret? None of us know what the fuck we're doing. There's no plan. We're just going off what seems like a good idea at the time. [Remember the sheer amount of stupid he gets himself into, Rin? This is why.] If it makes you feel any better I'm shit at this conversation thing too. Usually I let someone else talk.

[It's easier that way. And hey he doesn't even flinch about the Sorceress thing! Improvement.]

Hyne. No kidding. Everything's so... [He gestures vaguely.] With him.

[Though, wait, he does cast her a questioning look at that last bit. Clearly she didn't mean it to sound like that? Nah. But hey if she wants to complain about Squall he's all ears make him feel better where Squall's not mister perfect all the time.]

Uhm. No. Not yet. But he's talked about it. I know it exists. It's only a matter of time before I show up. Then none of you will ever be rid of me and you'll regret letting Squall show me where it's at.

[She pauses after a moment in thought, however. Squall said it's a place where they can go to be safe. Herself included. Because of course he wants her safe. They probably all do. In retrospect, Rinoa's rather fortunate. Three combatants who are more than willing to strike down anyone who comes up against her. Even in spite of her own abilities.

...Because she's incapable? Because Rinoa is still, ultimately a gentle creature at heart? Or because she's weak? She doesn't know.]

I guess it's silly to think any of us do. We're what, kids, right? Kids don't know anything. [Sounds like something her father would say and for a moment, she cringes. Yet Seifer distracts her and thank Hyne he does.

She raises an eyebrow.]

Everything's so... what with him? What are you really saying there? He said you guys were actually getting along. Was he just trying to keep me from scolding him or is that true?

I dunno, if you bring cocoa along with you I think that'll keep the complaints down to a minimum.

[Is he trying to wheedle more cocoa out of her? Absolutely he is. Also it's lonely out there sometimes. He likes being busy but he doesn't like being alone so much. And of course they want her safe. They want all of each other safe. And having a safe place, where they can all check in, helps ensure that. It also has nothing to do with thinking her weak or incapable, Seifer knows better, but he and Squall are also trained to be defensively minded. Her kindness and gentleness does have some to do with it though.

Seifer would hate for her to turn into one of them. Rinoa still has so much of herself in her, it'd be a crime for that to be erased.]

Kids. Tch. [He snorts, expression darkening.] Like any so called 'adults' in our lives knew a damn thing they were doing. Quick to toss us into the fires they're too fuckin' cowardly to do anything about. [The adults were useless.]

[He frowns at her, shaking his head quickly.] No it's not like that it's just...

Hell I don't know. Tense? [He's struggling for proper words for it, so he takes a sip of his cocoa to stall.] There's just a lot to sort through. I don't get him half the time.

[Just like he doesn't get her either. How can they both be so comfortable with him? How can they have forgiven him so easily?]

Cocoa, huh? Sounds like someone's partial. Or maybe it's just the person bringing the cocoa.

[She's teasing him. Really. She is. It's just a joke, though she... Well. Rinoa admits at least to herself that maybe she's a little curious over the truth in the statement. Truth is, they probably wouldn't care what she brought. Only that it's her at all. She could believe that.

It's as she mulling over the concept of kids and adults that she's reminded of a very similar conversation she's had with Squall. Not too long ago either. It seems like it's one more thing they have in common with one another. But neither he nor Seifer are particularly wrong. If adults could have handled things, could have fixed things, there wouldn't have been a need to create gardens to raise children up into mercenaries. It's almost cruel when she thinks about it. Sure, it'd be easy to pass it off as simply a means of 'that's the way the world works,' but that's irresponsible.

As such, she doesn't offer him any kind of counterargument, as much as she wishes she could. Squall is a surprisingly easier topic. Maybe. Or maybe he just doesn't disappoint her so much.]

Tense is a good word for him. I think... like you, he's just finally having this opportunity to discover himself. Both of you were just restrained to your roles for so long. You never had an opportunity to really live or to learn. And now you both have that chance.

[Too many years too late, perhaps.]

You both just need some time, you know? You're trying to make up for a lot of lost time. So don't force it. Just... let things fall as they will. If something breaks, we clean it up and do our best to put it back together. A crack doesn't make something ugly. It just makes it more beautiful.

[...She's such an odd duck.]

Maybe. I'll never tell.

[It might be both. It's probably both. The cocoa is nice, but she's right, she could bring anything and he'd be happy about it. Seifer's not picky. He's just... glad they're not enemies. Glad that she doesn't hate him as much as he thinks she should.

They grew up in the same situation after all. Being trained to cover up for the failings of those who should have taken more responsibility. Making it through those situations as much by chance as anything else, as those selfsame adults continued to fail them every step of the way. What use were they when they needed teenagers to save the world they had more than a decade's warning about the looming threat? This was the best they could do?

The world didn't work this way until so called adults decided to make it so.

They should just bicker about Squall, it's easier.]

[Her words earned a nod along with a thoughtful frown. She's not wrong. It's been hard on them both, trying to learn how to be "normal" people. Discovering a complete and utter lack of life skills was pretty shocking back in the village. Still a struggle here after Seifer had begun to hone a few into something useful. At least he can keep himself fed, that's something.]

[He huffs in amusement, shaking his head ruefully.]

I think a crack means it's broken and time to throw it out, Rin.

[It's said gently, maybe even sorrowfully. If buried under a significant amount of sarcastic tone to keep the edge off. There's something about it that implies he might not be talking about a thing so much.]

[They were robbed of so much. Could they ever truly learn how to function in the real world now?]

[Rinoa chooses not to tease him over his response. She is confident that she knows him well enough to conclude he does indeed, enjoy both aspects of cocoa.

Perhaps she could continue to wax poetically if she knew what was going on in his head. But she is blissfully unaware, and if not blissful, then simply unaware. He continues and the words he offers her aren't...

Well. They don't instil much confidence in her. Yet that's to be expected considering all both of them have been through. It doesn't really surprise her to hear such concepts out of him. And she knows very well what he means when he says it. It's not things he's talking about at all. It's him.

Rinoa eyes him for some moments and she leans over and presses the tip of her nose into his cheek.]

No. I refuse to believe that. I won't make you believe it, but I can't. We can only be complete when we're all together.

UN: Almasy - Audio

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