open-ish

[shadowedheart]

Who: Riku and others
Where: Around Verens
When: Middle of the month
Format: [ like this ]
open-ish
Summary: Just a gloomy gus needing some fresh air. Closed prompts will be top-leveled, open prompts free to anyone.


( TREE OF MEMORIES )
[ This place isn't anywhere that Riku has been before, though he's heard of it, somewhat. It's basically a tree that holds petals of memories from all those who come near it... or who inhabit the island... one of the two? Maybe both? Regardless, he's here, feeling the need to just get out and away from everything and everyone and he's made sure to keep himself relatively bundled up lest he end up sick again.

When a breeze gently drifts by, crisp and cool and allowing strands of silver to blow around his face, Riku catches sight of a drifting petal that falls from the tree and, perhaps without even realizing so, he holds his hand out and allows the petal to land in his palm.

The memory that it contains is one that seems almost ironic considering current circumstances of people within his life. It's distorted, perhaps a bit scratchy in a way, but it shows a sleeping Sora encased in what looks like a bubble. Standing outside that bubble and staring to the sleeping Sora is Riku, dressed in black and donning the blindfold much as he still does within this world. Off to the side, Naminé is there, sitting at a long table and seemingly sketching in a book, though she doesn't seem to address Riku within the memory. Gently, he reaches out with a gloved hand and presses it to the front of the bubble and the strongest emotion that can be felt even with watching this memory unfold... is grief.

It figures this memory would show itself now of all times and, to be honest, he almost finds it funny, as if a silent punishment personally dished out for him. Well-played, Tree of Memories.

Riku, of course, tries to brush off the memory and any feelings that might be attached to it. Though one can't exactly deny that the air around him seems a lot more chillier than anywhere else near the tree. ]


( IT'S RAINING, IT'S POURING )
[ What had started out as something that should have taken maybe ten minutes at most has turned into a good thirty minutes standing outside the tea shop in the pouring rain.

The weather hasn't been the greatest as of late and yet Riku thought he could pick up this box of tea for Cloud and be out of here before it started to come down like it is now. How wrong he apparently was. Thankfully, he's standing under the awning of the shop, arms crossed, blindfold on, finger tapping against the box of tea he holds. The rain doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon and the shop has closed, leaving Riku out here in the damp without an umbrella. He sighs, head lolling to the side as he shifts his weight to one leg, contemplating the thought of just sucking it up and walking back to Cloud's in this weather. ]

It's never going to stop...

[ Maybe you're stuck under here with him. Maybe you're passing by. Maybe you have an umbrella to lend to him. Or maybe you're out enjoying the rain. Whatever the case, Riku's not looking too happy... and the frost that's come to coat the tips of his shoes is a little bit of a hint to that. ]

Comments

[innermonologues]

[ . . . Squall holds it out for a few minutes, but when Riku doesn't seem like he's going to take it, he just puts the umbrella down and ties it up before setting it at Riku's feet. ]

It's fine. I irritate you, I get it. It's stupid to force people to talk if they don't want to.

[shadowedheart]

[ Through the blindfold, Riku glances down to see what Squall's doing with the umbrella and purses his lips. That's... not what he wanted him to do. ]

I don't need your pity.

[ Referring to the umbrella, clearly. ]

[innermonologues]

It's not pity. I don't really need it and you seem to be in need.

[ he shrugged his shoulders a bit. A tiny little chirping from his shoulder. ]

I don't mind the rain. I mean it's practically in my name. [ Badumcheee. He's so clever. not. ]

[shadowedheart]

Then I guess you can just leave it here if you don't need it.

[ Even as he says that, he pushes himself off the post he had been leaning against... and walks off into the rain... away from Squall. ]

[innermonologues]

That's it?

[shadowedheart]

Figure it out.

[ He mutters that loud enough to hear as he continues to walk, tucking the box of tea inside his jacket so as not to get it wet from the rain that falls on and around him. ]

[innermonologues]

[ Squall slowly follows behind him, looking a little more irritated. ]

Look. I get that I'm the last person you want to acknowledge, but you can't run away forever.

[shadowedheart]

That's where you're wrong.

[ A beat, perhaps a little softly. ]

It's what I'm best at.

[innermonologues]

You'll run out of space to run. And then what? Attack anyone who gets close like a cornered cat?

[shadowedheart]

What do you care?

[ Still not bothering to stop or look at you, Squall. ]

[innermonologues]

We're similar in that aspect, but I've stopped running.

[shadowedheart]

Tch, we're not similar.

[ Way to insult him, Squall. ]

[innermonologues]

How so?

[ Squall's not backing down either. ]

[shadowedheart]

[ Coming to stop then, Riku spins around to face Squall but with doing so, water sprays around him and splashes towards Squall. ]

What are you following me for? Can't you take a hint?

[innermonologues]

How can I take a hint when you won't talk to me directly?

[shadowedheart]

Go away.

[ And yet, somehow, thunder doesn't crack at that. ]

That good enough for you?

[innermonologues]

No. It's not.

[ Squall glares, not even slightly scared by the thunder cracking. Then again, he has his own problem, ice forming at the bottom of his feet. ]

Quit being a coward and tell me how you really feel.

[shadowedheart]

I keep my distance from you so the least you could do is the same for me.

[ It's tempting to summon Soul Eater into his palm and point it towards him. So tempting. But he doesn't. ]

[innermonologues]

As childish as I may come off, even I'm mature enough to know constantly avoiding each other is completely stupid. What, you want to keep a flow chart of when we can visit places?

[shadowedheart]

Visit wherever you want. Just leave me out of it.

[ And then he turns again to continue walking in the rain. Take the hint and leave, Squall. ]

[innermonologues]

Is this what it's like dealing with me? It's really annoying...

[ Squall pushes his hair back before following, leaving a trail of ice foot prints behind him. ]

[shadowedheart]

[ Why does this guy insist on not taking a hint? This clearly has something to do with Sora and he has to wonder if Sora mentioned something to him. Knowing his best friend? Probably and, unfortunately, that just annoys Riku at the thought. ]

Stop following me.

[innermonologues]

Stop avoiding me.

[shadowedheart]

[ Fine, Squall. If you want to play it that way, he's just going to go back to ignoring you as he walks. Tra la friggin la. ]

[innermonologues]

You. are literally the biggest pain in the ass I've ever met, and I've dealt with growing up with Seifer.