[PRP] Surprise Decompression (Akubi & Riyo)

[Pales]

Akubi dragged her away - temporarily- from the booths and the noises of the Student Cup. Clearly she needed a moment to just sort of chill out - maybe she'd appreciate it? He wasn't sure. He just knew he needed a few minutes himself before he just gave up entirely.

Maybe give up was a bit a harsh term for it, but he was starting to feel distressed that Riyo just ... Didn't seem to be having fun.

She was his friend - so of course he wanted her to have fun.

He stopped on the path a bit a way from the noise and action and he let go of her wrist, "I ... dunno where to go from here, we probably shouldn't wander off far from the place or we might forfeit our participation."

Sexy Cocaine

 

[Sexy Cocaine]

Riyo's feisty aggravation with the situation had melted into more of a defeatist complacency. Nothing was happening that she wanted, and worse, her normal attitude was just hurting the people (that mattered) around her.

In a bit of a daze, she followed Akubi to what she assumed was the next booth.

Then they passed all the booths.

She snapped back in a bout of confusion as he released her, looking around at an area just distant enough that the sounds of the crowd were muffled.

The feline released a small, quick sigh before parking herself next to a tree. "Not sure that would be so bad." She mumbled, though she didn't really mean it. For as much as she bitched, Riyo rarely threw in the towel before seeing something through, regardless of how bad the result may be. More than likely she just liked to b***h sometimes, which... Was honestly no surprise to anyone.

Her head slumped unceremoniously against the trunk of the tree as she looked up at the sparse congregation of leaves that still clung to the branches. "Are you actually having fun?"

Pales

 

[Pales]

"Well... Yeah! Cause you're there and stuff," he chuckled a bit and just sort of kicked at the ground. "I .. probably shouldn't be scolding you for being you. That's not right of me, either," Akubi finally amended with a bit of a shrug.

There was a bit of a resignation to his posture, "I just ... care about how you feel, never thought I'd really feel that for people, y'know?"

He cared for a handful of people since coming to the school. It felt weird.

Sexy Cocaine

 

[Sexy Cocaine]

Her ears tilted in the boil's direction. It was always so hard to believe someone thought that highly of her, and so much more strange when they admitted it. Titus would never say such a thing, and Deacon certainly wasn't so matter of fact about it either (unless he was dying).

Riyo's eyes closed. "Well. I suppose I shouldn't be so dismissive of everything I don't immediately enjoy." She reluctantly admitted. "It's just second nature to me anymore." Not that it was an excuse.

One eye opened slightly at his admittance of caring. "I... didn't either." Not in her wildest dreams. "That's why I didn't say anything to you after you explained how you felt." Sometimes it was what someone didn't say. She could've been hateful and vindictive, but the hardest feat for her was to not say anything at all.  

[Pales]

His ears perked up a bit and he nodded, "Yeah. Sometimes it is hard to change into a better demon nyeah?" Akubi chuckled again mostly out of amusement and partially out of nervousness. Being honest with feelings felt weird.

It felt weird hearing someone return them as well. Weird weird weird.

"I appreciate it," he said honestly as he meandered closer to her and offered her the gift he'd wrapped earlier. "Is for you anyways."  

[Sexy Cocaine]

"Not just sometimes." Riyo agreed in her own way, a light blush decorating her cheeks as she finally looked his way. It was awkward, but certainly not the most awkward conversation she had ever engaged in. If anything, it was light-hearted.

The ghoul's brows furrowed as a small gift was suddenly presented to her. "Huh?" Cautiously, she reached up to take the oddly shaped box from his hands. "Y... You got me something for Christmas?"

Riyo grimaced at the prospect of almost immediately undoing all his hard work. The box looked so lovely wrapped up like that, but at the same time, it would be rude to leave it. Much like at the first booth, she took great cares unwrapping the box as if to respectfully take apart what he had done. The paper and ribbon was set beside her as she FINALLY removed the lid.

The contents were.. Incredibly precious. The feline had to bite her tongue before she let out an uncharacteristic 'Awwww'. She could not, however, prevent the warmth in her face from showing. She may have even smiled a little as she examined the small ceramic skellekitty. How could something so small be so overwhelmingly cute?

"Thank you." Her words were sincere, and the gratitude overflowing in her tone.  

[Pales]

He offered a small nod of agreement. "It'll get worked out," he replied with an astounding amount of confidence. If he felt awkward it didn't show at the moment.

When she took his gift he just let his hand fall to his side and watched her curiously to see what she'd think before he explained, "It isn't strictly for Christmas.. It's just .. a gift for being my friend, for putting up with me, for shits and giggles. You know... Just to show I appreciate that ... you're in my life even though I give you so much crap..."

Akubi shifted his shoulders a little, "You're like .. one of my best friends so, deal with it."  

[Sexy Cocaine]

His words were astounding to her.

"Just for being your friend, huh?" She looked at the gift thoughtfully. Really, she wasn't the one who should be receiving some kind of apology/appreciation gift. Akubi was just odd, and somewhat of a sadist. She was the pain in the a**.

The thought had never struck her to just... Give someone a gift because. She liked having Christmastival as an excuse for giving them, but to just give out of sheer appreciation?

"You deserve better." She looked past the small ceramic cat to the boil. "I don't feel like a very good friend. I b***h about everything, I like to deceive you, and I rarely open up." Riyo sighed. "I know you only give me hell because you care... I just... Don't understand why you do."

As far as Riyo had managed to come, it was still hard to think of herself as worthy. Yes, she was better than she used to be. Like a broken trinket that had been glued together, she was better than the jagged mess, but that wasn't much better, was it? It would never be good, not like before it was broken.  

[Pales]

"I think you're just fine the way you are. We're still young Riyo. We're still growing into the demons we are meant to be. You'll find more interests, different creeple to influence you, at least that is what my Auntie always told me when I go through rough patches. I do go through rough patches y'know." Akubi chuckled with amusement. "I always thought I'd never have a friend but I have you and Siobhan and ... just others that seem to actually care about me."

"So you b***h, you play pranks on me, and you're harder to have a heart-to-heart with. When these moments happen, though, like a talk like this? It's like magic. It's a moment I treasure cause you decided to be real with me," the Catboil grinned cheerfully.

He moved closer and crouched next to Riyo, "So like it or not, you're stuck with me. You are the 'better' that I deserve because friends are whoever -I- choose to be worthy."  

[Sexy Cocaine]

It was a bit surreal to hear him talk. She had always thought of Akubi as childish and naive, but at that moment, he was wise beyond his years.

Riyo's brow furrowed as he pointed out that they were still growing. For so long, she had been convinced that at age 12, she had done all the growing she was going to do. The demoness had been forced into shoes bigger than any little ghoul should've been expected to fill. So, she stood on her tiptoes and puffed out her chest in hopes that no one would notice. A practice that had formed into a habit she was still trying to break.

He was right, though. Riyo was young. She had time to decide who and what she wanted to be, regardless of how close to an Alumni she was. And.. Perhaps it didn't matter exactly what she thought of herself. In those moments, Akubi obviously saw something she couldn't see in herself. Something she was blind to. She was worthy in someone's eyes, and it was someone who knew the feline at her worst.

That was worth much more than any gift.

Riyo placed the small item back in the box next to her as Akubi crouched down, her expression filled with a mild shock. She remained silent and immobile for some brief, passing moments, until her arms reached out as she leaned forward.

She hugged him. It was a tight, unrelenting hug, as if he might float away at any second. That was a recent development, learning to show affection, but it was the only thing that she could do to truly express the gratitude she felt. Not one word, or bundle of words, could really compete with sharing the warmth and vulnerability of an embrace.  

[Pales]

The silence and the look she was giving him made him a bit uneasy, mostly because he couldn't quite tell what she was thinking or feeling - until she hugged him. Akubi didn't take too long to return the hug, but he did sit there for a stunned second or two before the hug was returned.

He just hugged her until she showed signs of letting him go.

"Not going to lie, there've been times where I out right set out to provoke you as well y'know. Our friendship is based on mutually giving each other s**t," he grinned lightly as he lightly patted her back during the hug. "It keeps me on my toes, I like that about us."  

[Sexy Cocaine]

Unfortunately it was still a work in progress, and Riyo didn't hold the embrace for too long. As soon as he patted her on the back she pulled away, looking more than a little embarrassed, yet still somehow joyful.

"It would have been an obvious lie." The ghoul collected her present and stood, pocketing the box and attempting to dust herself off. "I suppose if you like the awful torment I dish out, I can find new and better ways to make your life hell." She teased, looking back towards the event. Their second challenge was due to start soon, wasn't it?