As some of you may know, Peanut and I are crazy about Roleplaying, and it's clear, since this is the second one on this site that belongs to us. And we aren't even done with the first one! Regardless, that won't stop us from starting this new roleplay, Rude Awakening!

 

Kinda dark and mysterious title, eh?

 

As stated in the title, this RP is one on one, no exceptions. Please refrain from posting in the RP. Instead, follow us on this new journey!

 

Peanut, my amazing friend, let's begin!

Riku finished the meal alongside the girls, though he did finish it sooner. He always cooked for himself, since he lived alone, so a meal like this was wonderful. He and his parents hadn't actually gotten together for a home-cooked meal lately, so it was nice to have.

As the meal wrapped up, Serah remembered something she meant to bring up earlier. "Snow was here," she said to Lightning as she took her dish over to the sink. "He brought you homework, and wanted to see how you were feeling."

 

Lightning rolled her eyes, momentarily forgetting that she was supposed to be asleep at that time and ignorant of Snow's presence. "I know," she said. "He's a loudmouth." But as soon as she said the words, she remembered. Being awake to realize Snow was there meant she was awake enough to realize she was under Riku's arm. And she just admitted to the former. Crap.

Riku blinked at that, looking over at Lightning as his eyebrows furrowed. "He woke you up?" he asked, making sure he heard things correctly. If that was so, then she must have realized that she was under his arm the entire time. She wasn't ignorant; she was sneaky. Riku felt fooled.

Lightning glanced over at Riku then, speaking the partial truth. "Only a little," she said. "His voice brought back my headache, but I think once he was gone, I was out again." She hoped that would be enough of an explanation to keep him from thinking she was aware that he was holding her. Did he even want her to know? Probably not, since he took his arm away when she woke up.

Riku nodded slightly, though his thoughts went elsewhere. If Snow's voice had brought Lightning to consciousness, even a little bit, then she must have also realized how he snapped at Snow, trying to protect her. Riku protected her plenty already, but for some reason, that made him...nervous. He wasn't protective of everyone, not like he had been with her. Kairi maybe, and Namine, but...not someone he hadn't known his entire life.

"I'll take the blame for that," Serah said sheepishly. "I thought since he was responsible, it'd be good for him to see you to see how you were. I didn't know that he'd talk so loud." He really had spoken way too enthusiastically, and embarrassed Riku while he was here. He didn't seem like the type of guy that Serah would ever want to get to know.

 

"It's fine," Lightning said with a small shrug. What else was there to say, really? She just hoped nobody asked more questions about what she was aware of. Riku seemed to be feeling awkward from what she could tell.

Riku looked over at Serah, but he pushed himself up from his seat. He grabbed his plate and handed it off to her, since she was still in front of the sink. "Thanks for dinner, but I need to go lock up the gym for the night," he said with a small smile. He left it open for the recruits to use tonight, but it was about time he went to lock it up. It was also a good excuse to leave the apartment at such an awkward time. "Thanks for dinner. I owe you one."

"You don't owe me anything," Serah assured him as she accepted the plate. If anything, she was indebted to him. He was looking out for Lightning when she couldn't, after all. That was an incredible thing. "You're welcome to stay for dinner tomorrow night too, if Lightning doesn't get frustrated and kick you out before then."

 

Lightning shook her head faintly at how Serah kept bringing her into the conversation. "I couldn't kick him out even if I wanted to," she said as she rose to her feet. "He does whatever he wants, clearly." He kept her from going to work, and made himself at home in her house. Yet she wasn't angered with him. It was weird.

Riku shrugged a little, though he did lift a hand to run over his silver hair. It was just how he was, what they were saying. He couldn't really help it. "Anyway...thanks again," he said, looking to Serah again. "If she makes a break for it, call me." He then looked pointedly at Lightning, almost warning her. She better not leave to go to work or do anything strenuous soon, or she would be seeing him around. Well, she would be seeing him around anyway; he was checking up on her tomorrow.

Serah chuckled lightly, smiling. "Will do. Have a good night, Riku." At the table, Lightning did lift a hand and wave briefly in farewell, trying to be casual about it. Serah was thinking she'd have to interrogate her sister later about this; it wasn't every day that somebody invaded her life like this and she didn't kick them to the curb. Riku's special all right. No doubt about that.

Riku smiled again, lifting a hand slightly. "See ya," he called softly, leaving the kitchen, but not before making eye contact with the oldest Farron. He would be back to check on her tomorrow. Until then, he needed to do his own thing and let her get some rest. He approached the apartment door and opened it, stepping out into the hall and shutting it softly behind him. Once he was outside, he sighed. It was time for him to think about things, and very clearly.

The next day

 

Even if it was November, the weather was so beautiful outside that Roxas decided that he would eat his lunch outdoors. He sat in the grass and leaves, unaffected by them as he chewed on a sandwich. Life was going on, not that it ever stopped in the first place. He was just trying to dive deeper into his music, even if he felt conflicted. He exhaled a soft breath into the autumn air, not looking at the school building behind him. He really needed to figure out if this was just writer's block or something else entirely.

Namine gazed down at the camera in her hands, her bag slung over her shoulder and lightly hitting her leg with every step she took. She walked along the sidewalk in silence, amongst the other students as she focused on the pictures she took over the weekend for her photography class. They were okay, but they weren't great. She really needed to work on her lighting. But...she had just been so distracted lately that she couldn't focus on every little detail. Her grade was suffering because of her poor choices, and in this case, poor choice of words.

Roxas finished with the sandwich, hearing other students walking outside behind him on the path. They must have all agreed that it was a beautiful day out. He couldn't believe it, himself. If only he had his guitar... You do, he reminded himself. Inside. But no way was he going to bring it outside to play when there were other people around. He was far too nervous to expose himself and his music to the world--or, the college.

Namine's eyebrows furrowed as she quietly walked along the sidewalk, glad that she was wearing a light purple sweater; the weather was cooling down a lot lately, since it was fall. It was a great time for her to do art, but not be outside, and unfortunately she really disliked the cold. She started passing a tree not too far from the walkway, unaware that the one person who had been on her mind constantly was sitting right there. After all, they hadn't seen each other once since the incident after the restaurant.

Edited June 26, 201213 yr by Forever Love

Roxas finished up his food and then headed over to one of the doors, taking a shortcut through the grass since he was already in that area. And then he saw the pack of students coming his way. Since he did have good manners (whether they appeared or not depended on his mood), he stepped over and held the door for a lot of people. His eyes wandered the crowd, but then he saw somebody he wasn't expecting. Namine.

Namine kept her grip on her camera secure, not wanting other people to cause her to drop it. She noticed that someone was holding the door, and she briefly glanced up at them. "Thank you," she said, looking back down at her camera. But...wait. Wasn't that...? She met his eyes as she continued walking, unable to stop due to other people behind her. Roxas.

Roxas's eyes held onto Namine's longer than he should have let them. He watched her go inside and felt...weird. The way that she looked today, with her hair a tad ruffled because of a light wind and her cheeks being a faint pink because of the cold...She really was beautiful. He chased away those thoughts and focused his attention to the rest of the people coming through after a few seconds. He couldn't let himself think like that. He couldn't fall for Namine.

Once the wall separated them, Namine stared ahead in confusion. The way Roxas had looked at her just a second ago... Why did it make her heart skip? She walked much more slowly, people passing her as she tucked some of her hair behind her ear. She hadn't seen him in days, but...he still looked great. But had she really expected him to look miserable after what she said? Yes...a little.

...Even if Roxas wasn't giving himself permission to fall for Namine, he did feel bad about seeing her sad. Even if she started this by saying that he wasn't like Sora. Who could blame her for making the comparison though? He had hoped she wouldn't, but...Everyone else did, so that was that. Roxas stepped inside, deciding that maybe he and Namine needed to talk.

Namine knew she needed to talk to Roxas after what was said, but...he didn't even want to look at her the last time. She took slow steps down the hall, allowing other people to pass her as she opened the flap on her bag, carefully setting her camera inside. Roxas had a right to be upset with her, since she was kind of heartless with her words. She told Kairi he was no Sora, and if she heard she was no Kairi, she would have been offended as well. It was awful what she said, and she didn't blame Roxas for avoiding her.

Roxas saw Namine stop, and he knew that was the time to approach her. He had no clue what he was going to say, but before he knew it, he was right by her. "Hey, Namine," he said, awkwardly lifting a hand to the back of his head as he stood before her. The crowd walked past by now, so he wasn't worried about somebody walking into him. "Do you...uh...want to talk?"

Namine's head shot up at the sound of her name, and when she heard the rest of what Roxas had to say, she lightly swept her bangs out of her eyes. "Oh, um...sure," she said with a weak smile, trying to be friendly. She was surprised he even approached her, and it was even weirder that he wanted to talk to her. What happened to the boy who wanted to avoid this conversation at all costs?

Roxas smiled, though it reflected how awkward he felt. "I just...uh...feel bad I didn't hear you out, the other day," he said, glancing down the hall at the pack as they walked further and further away. "And, that jab was uncalled for. Sorry...about that." And he was. He had brutally reminded Namine of the conversation that he overheard without showing an ounce of understanding. He got that he was too harsh, even if he was offended. Now he was just wearing apathy instead of anger. So what if he wasn't Sora? What did that matter to him, Roxas?

"Oh," Namine said, glancing down as she linked her hands together. "It's alright. I deserved it." She glanced up at the taller young man before looking down at his sneakers. She hadn't known Roxas was at the restaurant, no, but she could have still been nicer with what she said. She insulted him, and he insulted her. They were even.