A'Splosion of Ideas
Yugioh work on chapter 25
Honda/Arisa
What I have so far: Arisa took his hand. "Don't worry, baby. She's going to love you."
Honda loosened his collar. "Sure, you say that now... But while neither of us would say I’m anything less than charming, I just don’t know if she’ll see it that way." He had never formally met a girlfriend’s family before, and even though it was just one elderly woman, Arisa had said enough to make Honda very nervous. If nothing else, Vivienne’s time with them would certainly prove… interesting.
Arisa rolled her eyes. "Just be yourself - charming or not, she has to love you." She kissed him softly on the cheek. "I know I do."
"Hey, keep flattering me and I'll get cocky." He grinned. "And no one wants that."
Suddenly, a black car pulled up and after a moment of slight fumbling out stepped a frail-looking old woman. The driver got a small traveling bag from the trunk, and after a short exchange with the woman he got back in the car and drove off.
Arisa squeezed her fianceé's hand. "There she is." She smiled brightly and waved. "Vivi! Vivi! Bonjour."
"Arisa!" The woman - short but still imposing, with neatly coiffed hair and a well-made suit - walked over to them and greeted her granddaughter fondly. "Tu me manquais."
"Je, aussi. Comment allez-vous?"
"Bien. Tout va bien. Le vol n'était pas mauvais, mais ils ont perdu le bagage." Vivienne shook her head and sighed. "Quelle incompétence." She patted Arisa's cheek. "Mais tu es plus belle que jamais. Arisa... Tu me manquais tellemente."
The women continued to converse, leaving Honda totally in the dark. He had tried to learn a few phrases, but then he had found a link for less than everyday French, and he had spent nearly an hour looking up dirty words. His education had ended there, and suddenly he felt its inadequacy all too strongly.
He cleared his throat, successfully getting Arisa's attention. She looked her at him and he grinned. "Mind introducing me?"
"Oh! Sorry, sorry, of course." She smiled at her grandmother warmly; he hadn’t realized how much Arisa cared for her. "Vivi, this is my fianceé - Hiroto, say hello."
He waved at her rather sheepishly. "Hi."
Vivienne looked him over in an expression far too similiar to distaste. "Hmmph. Il est trop maigre."
Arisa laughed. "Maybe so - but I think he's cute."
Honda looked at her worriedly. "Is that up for debate?"
"Of course not, dear. She thinks you're lovely."
He looked at her with a smirk. "Sure. I don’t know what you’re saying about me, but it had better be nothing but flattering."
“It is. Now why don’t you grab her bag for her and we’ll go up to the apartment. I thought maybe we could show her around the city.”
“Sure, if you want to.” He smiled at Vivienne and took her bag. The woman still looked vaguely disapproving. He cleared his throat nervously.
~~~
Now! To work.
Vivienne's eyes narrowed further.
"Arisa," he mumbled, "why does she only speak French?" He looked at her pleadingly. "How am I supposed to dazzle her when I can't even speak to her?"
"I'll help you," she replied. "Now I don't want anymore standing around. Come on - let's go up to the apartment so she can get settled in."
Knowing it was futile to argue with her - in addition to how juvenile she had the tendency to make him feel - Honda plastered on a half-smile and followed the two women up.
Having Vivienne there would be stressful, no doubt, but that was only the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae of dress, flowers, food, guests. The wedding could not come soon enough.
(End Scene)
Honda had moaned and complained about being left with her grandmother, but Arisa wanted to go out and anyway, Vivienne had wanted a chance to explore the city on her own. Whether that meant just wandering around or a tour (there was always the "Notable Dueling Sites", but somehow that didn't seem to Vivi's tastes). Honda didn't know she was going out, of course, but after the little fit he threw, Arisa had decided he didn't need to know.
Really, she wished she could just put him in detention again sometimes.
"Hey there," Mai said, seeing Arisa approaching. The two women, having much in common, had slowly bonded through all the time their significant idiots spent with each other. Jounouchi and Honda had a special bond; Honda always teased that it was the bond-of-the-tall, but anyone could see that Honda enjoyed teasing Jounouchi, and he just enjoyed arguing.
Arisa smiled as she sat down. "Hello. How have you been?"
"Pretty good, actually. Not as good as you, though, I'm sure," she said teasingly. "Planning a wedding? Mmm, talk about relaxing."
"You've got that right." Arisa laughed and rolled her eyes. "It's certainly an ordeal, but nothing too bad. Things are winding down; but of course that means that something's about to go wrong."
"That's just how the world is, hun." Mai took a sip of her drink. "Though... I might have something that you need to know about."
"What?" Arisa was vaguely worried, but knowing Mai it was likely the blonde was just teasing.
"Honda's bachelor party... will feature a stripper."
"After I distinctly told him 'no'?"
Mai nodded. "Jounouchi's excited. And he seems more scared of the repercussions than Honda." Mai snorted lightly. "That may be because teachers intimidate him, though."
Arisa smiled, feeling amused. Detention was a mighty power to wield. But after she had said "no" quite definitively, Honda had gone behind her back. That just wouldn't do. "As they should. But I don't think I can let them get away with this."
"Of course not! And actually, hun, I have something in mind."
"Oh?" Arisa was intrigued, and judging from the devious grin Mai wore, it was certainly warranted. "Do tell."
"They want a stripper, right?" Arisa nodded. Mai's grin widened. "I can't recall them mentioning anything about a woman."
"Oh. Oh, Mai, that is brilliant." If a man showed up to take his clothes off, then Honda would only be shocked into appreciating her more. It was the perfect plan. "But how can we arrange that? I think they'd get suspicious if either of us got involved."
"Hun, I think you're overestimating my boy just a little."
~~~
Yay! I'm feeling really inspired now. I think I might be able to finish this chapter by tonight. That's pretty exciting!
-ILB
Honda/Arisa
What I have so far: Arisa took his hand. "Don't worry, baby. She's going to love you."
Honda loosened his collar. "Sure, you say that now... But while neither of us would say I’m anything less than charming, I just don’t know if she’ll see it that way." He had never formally met a girlfriend’s family before, and even though it was just one elderly woman, Arisa had said enough to make Honda very nervous. If nothing else, Vivienne’s time with them would certainly prove… interesting.
Arisa rolled her eyes. "Just be yourself - charming or not, she has to love you." She kissed him softly on the cheek. "I know I do."
"Hey, keep flattering me and I'll get cocky." He grinned. "And no one wants that."
Suddenly, a black car pulled up and after a moment of slight fumbling out stepped a frail-looking old woman. The driver got a small traveling bag from the trunk, and after a short exchange with the woman he got back in the car and drove off.
Arisa squeezed her fianceé's hand. "There she is." She smiled brightly and waved. "Vivi! Vivi! Bonjour."
"Arisa!" The woman - short but still imposing, with neatly coiffed hair and a well-made suit - walked over to them and greeted her granddaughter fondly. "Tu me manquais."
"Je, aussi. Comment allez-vous?"
"Bien. Tout va bien. Le vol n'était pas mauvais, mais ils ont perdu le bagage." Vivienne shook her head and sighed. "Quelle incompétence." She patted Arisa's cheek. "Mais tu es plus belle que jamais. Arisa... Tu me manquais tellemente."
The women continued to converse, leaving Honda totally in the dark. He had tried to learn a few phrases, but then he had found a link for less than everyday French, and he had spent nearly an hour looking up dirty words. His education had ended there, and suddenly he felt its inadequacy all too strongly.
He cleared his throat, successfully getting Arisa's attention. She looked her at him and he grinned. "Mind introducing me?"
"Oh! Sorry, sorry, of course." She smiled at her grandmother warmly; he hadn’t realized how much Arisa cared for her. "Vivi, this is my fianceé - Hiroto, say hello."
He waved at her rather sheepishly. "Hi."
Vivienne looked him over in an expression far too similiar to distaste. "Hmmph. Il est trop maigre."
Arisa laughed. "Maybe so - but I think he's cute."
Honda looked at her worriedly. "Is that up for debate?"
"Of course not, dear. She thinks you're lovely."
He looked at her with a smirk. "Sure. I don’t know what you’re saying about me, but it had better be nothing but flattering."
“It is. Now why don’t you grab her bag for her and we’ll go up to the apartment. I thought maybe we could show her around the city.”
“Sure, if you want to.” He smiled at Vivienne and took her bag. The woman still looked vaguely disapproving. He cleared his throat nervously.
~~~
Now! To work.
Vivienne's eyes narrowed further.
"Arisa," he mumbled, "why does she only speak French?" He looked at her pleadingly. "How am I supposed to dazzle her when I can't even speak to her?"
"I'll help you," she replied. "Now I don't want anymore standing around. Come on - let's go up to the apartment so she can get settled in."
Knowing it was futile to argue with her - in addition to how juvenile she had the tendency to make him feel - Honda plastered on a half-smile and followed the two women up.
Having Vivienne there would be stressful, no doubt, but that was only the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae of dress, flowers, food, guests. The wedding could not come soon enough.
(End Scene)
Honda had moaned and complained about being left with her grandmother, but Arisa wanted to go out and anyway, Vivienne had wanted a chance to explore the city on her own. Whether that meant just wandering around or a tour (there was always the "Notable Dueling Sites", but somehow that didn't seem to Vivi's tastes). Honda didn't know she was going out, of course, but after the little fit he threw, Arisa had decided he didn't need to know.
Really, she wished she could just put him in detention again sometimes.
"Hey there," Mai said, seeing Arisa approaching. The two women, having much in common, had slowly bonded through all the time their significant idiots spent with each other. Jounouchi and Honda had a special bond; Honda always teased that it was the bond-of-the-tall, but anyone could see that Honda enjoyed teasing Jounouchi, and he just enjoyed arguing.
Arisa smiled as she sat down. "Hello. How have you been?"
"Pretty good, actually. Not as good as you, though, I'm sure," she said teasingly. "Planning a wedding? Mmm, talk about relaxing."
"You've got that right." Arisa laughed and rolled her eyes. "It's certainly an ordeal, but nothing too bad. Things are winding down; but of course that means that something's about to go wrong."
"That's just how the world is, hun." Mai took a sip of her drink. "Though... I might have something that you need to know about."
"What?" Arisa was vaguely worried, but knowing Mai it was likely the blonde was just teasing.
"Honda's bachelor party... will feature a stripper."
"After I distinctly told him 'no'?"
Mai nodded. "Jounouchi's excited. And he seems more scared of the repercussions than Honda." Mai snorted lightly. "That may be because teachers intimidate him, though."
Arisa smiled, feeling amused. Detention was a mighty power to wield. But after she had said "no" quite definitively, Honda had gone behind her back. That just wouldn't do. "As they should. But I don't think I can let them get away with this."
"Of course not! And actually, hun, I have something in mind."
"Oh?" Arisa was intrigued, and judging from the devious grin Mai wore, it was certainly warranted. "Do tell."
"They want a stripper, right?" Arisa nodded. Mai's grin widened. "I can't recall them mentioning anything about a woman."
"Oh. Oh, Mai, that is brilliant." If a man showed up to take his clothes off, then Honda would only be shocked into appreciating her more. It was the perfect plan. "But how can we arrange that? I think they'd get suspicious if either of us got involved."
"Hun, I think you're overestimating my boy just a little."
~~~
Yay! I'm feeling really inspired now. I think I might be able to finish this chapter by tonight. That's pretty exciting!
-ILB