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!

As the current song ended, Serah realized that the applause would be good cover for somebody trying to sneak back into their seats. She clapped absently but stared down the row, just in time to see Lightning returning to her seat. She looked okay, but when didn't she when she was in Serah's presence? She was always strong. It wasn't good. But...Serah wouldn't confront her about it now. She looked back ahead to watch the rest of the show, which was coming to a close.

Kairi watched the remainder of the performances before she joined the applause around her. The show was over now, which meant that it was time to leave. She reached for her clutch and stood up along with the others, starting out of the row to leave the concert hall. Well, that was nice. The music was beautiful.

The next day

 

It's always so nice to have Riku home, Celes thought, smiling to herself as she sat next to her husband at the table. The three of them were having lunch together in her home. She still considered it to be Riku's home, even if he had his own apartment now. She missed him terribly, but was happy he was doing well. Last night also was enjoyable, save for that one part. "It was so nice to have everyone together last night," she said, hearing her husband, Locke, grunt his agreement around his mouthful of food. It had been too long since they did anything with their friends.

Edited June 29, 201213 yr by Peanut

Riku smiled a little, chewing his food. Once he could talk, he spoke. "Yeah, I guess it was," he admitted. "Though I would have chosen something different than an orchestra." He gave his mother a look, taunting her as a smirk appeared on his lips. He never would have guessed that everyone would have gone to that.

"But you put up with it for your mother's sake," Locke said with a smirk of his own. "Just like the rest of us." He muttered those words, but apparently too loudly. The next thing he knew, he had an elbow in his side. He coughed, glancing over at his wife and seeing a teasing glare. Well, at least she knew that he only did it for her. He hated things like that.

Riku shook his head a little, taking another bite out of his food. It was delicious, as expected from his mother. She was an excellent cook, which was one of the reasons he missed being with his parents so much. But he was on his own now. He was old enough to take care of himself.

"It seemed like your friend wasn't a huge fan of it either," Locke said before putting another forkful of food into his mouth. He had noticed Lightning walk out; most all of them had. It was rude and inappropriate for her to walk out during an event like that. Who was she, and why was she involved in his son's life?

"Lightning?" Riku asked, glancing up at his father, smile gone. Why was his father bringing up Lightning? "She...really wasn't." She had good reason, of course. Her mother was in the show, and Lightning had a hard time with it. Surely his parents would understand that.

"Is there a reason why she walked out in the middle of it so suddenly?" Celes asked, seeing a difference in her son all of a sudden. He seemed surprised that Lightning was brought up, but it was bound to come up eventually. After all, Riku never invited a girl to something with him; the girls were always inviting him places. He was quite popular among the ladies. ...Yet he seemed to have chosen this girl.

"Yeah," Riku said with a nod, no longer eating as he looked at his parents. "But it's not my place to say." If his parents found out Lightning was an orphan, he wasn't really sure what they would think. For some reason, he got a bad vibe from this conversation.

Celes was surprised at Riku's consideration, but she nodded faintly. "If her father had known that they were going to play that piece, I'm sure he would have enjoyed going to the concert as well." Obviously Lightning's mother was gone; they learned as much at the concert. But surely her father was still around to take care of her and her sister, the latter of whom seemed delightful.

"Mm," Riku hummed, eyebrows furrowing a little as he looked away. Why were his parents going so in depth with Lightning? Were they just curious about her? Honestly, he wasn't going to say much when the conversation was going this way. It didn't feel...right.

Celes tilted her head as she watched her son, and how unusual he was acting. He was quiet a lot, but this sudden silence was leaving her feeling confused. "Riku..." she tried. "Is there something we should know about?" He was spending a large amount of his time with her, from what they understood. Was this girl having an influence on him? And a bad one at that?

Edited June 29, 201213 yr by Peanut

Riku's expression remained the same as he looked to his mother, suddenly suspicious. "...How do you mean?" he asked, food forgotten on the table. The vibe he had earlier, it was definitely true. He could sense it. He wasn't a kid anymore; he had an idea where this was going.

"She means that she doesn't want you getting close to this girl," Locke grunted, completely blunt. He heard his wife's scolding immediately, but she knew that he was speaking what was on both of their minds. "She's got issues." She should have stayed in that theater and watched the program with the rest of them, and not disrespected her mother's memory by walking out. What kind of a daughter would do that? A bad one.

Riku's eyes narrowed instantly, the young man gazing at his parents in disbelief. "Issues?" he repeated, making sure he heard correctly. Were his parents really judging Lightning? He knew they could be harsh if they wanted to be, but they never really jumped to it like this.

"I wouldn't say it like that--"

 

"But you'd say it any other way," Locke interrupted, speaking up again. He glanced at his wife and saw that she looked flustered, but she didn't argue with him this time. "Look, Riku," he said to his son. "We don't think that it's good for you to be around somebody who seems so..." He wasn't sure how to finish his sentence. Lightning seemed like she was burdened by Darkness. Riku already conquered that once; there was no need for him to get close to it again.

"What, lonely? Complicated? Like I was?" Riku asked, challenging his father. His parents knew exactly what he went through when he was in Darkness. If they saw Lightning get up and leave like he knew they did, then they would understand that she didn't have issues. She was just having a hard time. Part of that was feeling alone, he was sure of it. And being complicated. It wasn't like life was easy for anyone anymore.

Locke's eyes narrowed at his son's tone. Maybe that was what he was saying, but if he admitted that, his wife wouldn't speak to him for at least a week. "She has issues," he repeated. "Issues that I'd rather you didn't face again. She's not somebody you should be associated with." Last night, he thought he saw her smile maybe once. And that was just a "maybe". Riku was serious on his own; he should have been spending more time with people like Sora.

Riku's teeth ground together, recognizing that his parents were trying to control him. And at the same time, insulting Lightning. "I can make decisions for myself," he said, voice low as he practically glared at them. He knew Lightning wasn't the happiest person on the planet, but she had the potential. He was willing to help with that.

"Of course you can," Celes said, her tone more soothing than Locke's. She glanced over at him, silently telling him to keep quiet. His big mouth got them into this problem. "You've made plenty of your own decisions and we're proud of you for who you've become. I just think...Lightning wouldn't be a good influence on you. She seems to be walking a different road than you did." She seemed to be dwelling in Darkness, not trying to conquer it. She heard that from Noel's parents, who gathered that information from their youngest son and Serah's best friend.

"A different road," Riku repeated, not stating it as a question. He crossed his arms, looking at his parents with angered eyes. "And what makes you think I can't handle it, if what you're saying is actually true?" He doubted Lightning was walking down a dark road; she was just a little lost.

"I'll put it bluntly, since your mother won't shoot straight with you," Locke said, leaning forward and taking a deep look at his only son. "You fell once. You could fall again." He hated to say such a thing, but that was reality. It was best to cut off this girl before Riku realized that he liked her. His mother could already sense that he had those feelings, just because of her intuition.

Riku stiffened at the accusation, and he glared at his father in silence. His eyes were hard now, cold like ice. His parents had little to no faith in him, and clearly didn't want to take the time to get to know Lightning. They thought she was a disease, threatening his health. But he could handle himself, and surely they knew that. I can't believe you just said that to me, he wanted to hiss, but he couldn't find his voice. The shock was overwhelming.

"I wouldn't say it's that extreme," Celes said, again trying to make the tension go away. "We just mean that you should spend time with somebody who can make you happy, not somebody who...has special needs." She knew that came out wrong as soon as she said it, but there was no taking it back. Lightning wasn't the right girl for Riku.