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 opened his eyes, looking at Ashe as she stepped away, his hand loosening its hold. Goodbye, he thought silently. The possibility of them seeing each other again was slim, since the Islands were so large and they were both so busy. But the possibility of them being together was even smaller. He and Ashe had no future, not together.

Ashe slipped her hand out of Riku's, smiling softly at him before she turned and left. She had a story now for Riku and Lightning, and hopefully it would make the relationship look real. This was what she could do for Riku now, to make up for what she did to him in the past. This was her atonement.

Riku watched Ashe leave in silence, gazing at her until she was out of his sight. He stood there for a moment, unable to believe what just happened. He and Ashe kissed...and while a part of him liked it, a bigger part of him realized they couldn't be together. Their time had passed. Riku grabbed his jacket and slipped it on as he started out of the restaurant, knowing that he would need a long time alone after this.

Lightning was back at the apartment while Riku was having the interview. It was true that she spent time with Serah that evening, but she had been home for half an hour now. She just got done putting away all of her clothes and taking a shower. Now she was looking in the newspaper for job openings. She had to do this now, while Riku was gone. He'd be ticked off if he found her job searching.

Riku rode his bike home, though he wasn't surprised to see the paparazzi waiting for some sign of him or Lightning outside the apartment building. He parked his bike and, unfortunately, the sound of his motor captured their attention. Flashes of their cameras nearly blinded him since it was so dark outside, and he managed to get past them. They asked him questions, but he ignored them, getting inside the building and away from the cameras as soon as he could. Once in the lobby, he released a small breath, approaching the elevator. He wondered if Lightning was back...but, he didn't expect a pang of guilt to hit him so hard when he thought of her. Did what happened with Ashe cause that?

Light glanced over at the laptop on a desk. She would have used that if she could, but she didn't feel like it was her right. This was Riku's home and that was his laptop. She wouldn't use it without permission. She wordlessly looked back at the newspaper's job section, taking it in but also wondering about Riku and Ashe. She was sure nothing happened between them tonight; Riku was smart enough not to blow their fake relationship.

Riku stepped into the elevator, though he leaned his head back against the wall once he pushed the button. Hardly anybody was in the restaurant tonight, since it was a weekday, so he doubted anybody saw what happened. But if they did... Riku sighed, closing his eyes. He couldn't think like that. He couldn't even think about Lightning finding out. She would kill him, or be incredibly disappointed in him. Her opinion mattered to him, more than he originally thought. He couldn't let her down.

"Veterinary assistant?" Lightning muttered to herself. "Yeah right." Maybe Serah would like that since it dealt with animals, but not Lightning. There really weren't any jobs that were appealing to her, and even fewer that she was qualified for. She needed to graduate high school to get a decent job. But by then, it would be too late to save up money. She and Serah would be in debt again.

Riku left the elevator and started down his floor, almost to his apartment. He had his keys out of his pocket by the time he reached it, and he unlocked the door before pushing it open. He put up a guard before he entered, that way if Lightning was here, she wouldn't suspect anything. But he felt so guilty...even if they weren't in a relationship. It was odd.

Lightning froze when she heard the door open. Obviously it was Riku. And Riku was about to catch her with the job listings in her hands. She couldn't even flip to another section since this was all she had in her grasp. Maybe if she just sat still and didn't draw attention to it, he wouldn't notice that she was job hunting.

Riku briefly glanced at Lightning as he shut the door. "Hey," he greeted softly, though he didn't look at her any longer. He took off his jacket and threw it on the recliner in the room before making his way to the kitchen in silence. He tossed his keys on the counter, though he wasn't even sure what he was going to do with himself. He was just...confused.

"Hey," Lightning greeted back, looking up and watching Riku. Something was wrong--obviously. But she didn't ever stick her nose into other people's business. If he wanted to talk, he would. Hoping that he'd stay distracted, she decided to just continue the job hunt. So what if he didn't approve when he found out? This was her life.

Riku made sure he was out of Lightning's sight when he leaned against the counter and hung his head, sighing. He suddenly started feeling self-conscious. What if someone spread the word that he kissed another girl and the press found out? His and Lightning's image would be ruined, and he would look like the jerk who broke Lightning's heart. He couldn't do that, not to her.

"Can I use your laptop?" Lightning called to Riku once he was out of sight. There was nothing in the newspaper that interested her, and besides, there were more listings on the internet. If she could have access to it then she'd have a better place to start searching for a job.

Riku opened his eyes at the question, staring at the countertop. "What for?" he called lowly. He was just curious; he didn't necessarily need to know. Lightning had been reading the newspaper too, which he never saw her doing. What was that about?

"Stuff," Lightning said vaguely, setting the newspaper on the coffee table. By Riku's tone, she thought that maybe she could get away with that simple response. She wondered why she didn't just say it bluntly though, but then she realized it: she may have wanted some control in life, but she didn't want to hurt Riku to get it.

"Yeah..." Riku called softly in response. He lifted a hand to rub his forehead. "Yeah, that's fine." He didn't care if Lightning used his laptop. It was none of his business anyway, he guessed...just as tonight was none of hers. Riku sighed again at the thought, guilt overwhelming him. What is wrong with me?

That actually worked? Lightning was surprised. Nevertheless, she grabbed Riku's laptop and returned to the couch. It only took her a minute or two to pull up a job site. It was easier than newspaper, but it would still take her a while to look into all this stuff. She didn't know how long Riku would be distracted, but hopefully he wouldn't make a fuss over this.

Riku made sure that he was a little more relaxed, having stood in the kitchen by himself for a few minutes. Once he was composed, he entered the living room and saw that Lightning was on his laptop. He peered at the screen, just curious as to what she was looking at, but that was when he saw the site she was on. "...Looking for a job?" he asked lowly, eyebrows furrowing. He told her already that she wouldn't be looking for one while she was with him, in the apartment. But she was going against it.

Lightning looked over at Riku, fingers lingering on the keyboard. "Yeah," she said after a second. "I am." She knew that he was against it, but this was a choice that she had the right to make. He took her right to wear her normal clothes away, so she had to have control of something. Maybe she was a control freak, but she didn't care. She liked feeling stable.

Riku locked eyes with Lightning, staring at her for a moment in silence. "...I told you not to get a job while you stay here," he reminded her. He would support her, just as he had been. He didn't have a problem with it; it was nice to take care of someone else for a change, and have company. But it seemed like Lightning didn't care about that.

"The job will probably start when I'm out of here," Lightning said while holding Riku's stare. She'd be moving out soon anyway--as soon as the press lightened up on her enough that she could live with Riku's parents and not be a burden. So there was the loophole that she found in the argument, not that Riku would be happy about it.

"You plan on leaving so soon?" Riku asked, voice low as he took an unlikely insult from the words. He may have just been overly sensitive from what happened with Ashe, but he took that as a jab. Was Lightning even happy here?

"Serah is family," Lightning said without flinching at Riku's tone. "You're a friend. I'm supposed to be living with her and taking care of her, not be taken care of here." She had been the provider of the family for two years and she was eager to get back to doing that. That was her purpose in life.

"You're not going to be taking care of her until you're eighteen," Riku pointed out, glancing over to the side. "My parents will take that role until the time comes." Her argument was flawed. She wouldn't be taking care of Serah anytime soon. "You've still got a while. Enjoy it while you can." As in, she needed to let someone else take care of her instead of stressing over being the caretaker. Riku had that role covered.