Oops...

[leekspin]

WHO: Orihime, Axel, Roxas
WHAT: Trying to help someone out lands Orihime in hot water. What to do? Run like crazy!
WHEN: May 29, 2008 - Evening
WHERE: Clairbourn Streets

Comments

[punk_of_hearts]

Roxas had been kind of quiet through the conversation, mulling things over in his usual way. So this girl with no official karate training was approximately a black belt and had gotten herself into that whole pot of trouble just to help out a random stranger?

...Wow. That sounded like something he'd do.

"Real action heroes, huh?" Roxas chuckled, hesitating a moment and then hopping up onto the far corner of his bed to sit down--he didn't want to sit too near her and freak her out or anything. She might have been a badass, but...she was still a girl, and girls spooked at things. She was also almost incomprehensibly adorable, with how upbeat and chipper she was. It was kind of refreshing; New York girls would have been playing an attack for all it was worth, whining and whimpering and making googly-eyes and all that crap. Then again, it happened a lot more often in New York, and there really wasn't anyone around who cared. So maybe Orihime just didn't feel the need to psyche it up or anything like that.

Whatever the reason, Roxas approved. "Nah, I wasn't that amazing. I sniped them all with my paintball gun so they'd glow in the dark, and from there I mostly just kind of taunted them and tricked them into getting trapped in wet cement." He paused. "...And then I used a bulldozer to bury them in gravel. And then I took out the last two with my sword. ...But it wasn't that cool. My sword wasn't on fire or anything," he joked, smirking at Axel and shaking his head. "I also got punched in the head; I'm pretty sure Axel didn't take any hits. So."

He thought a moment and then concluded at Axel, "Yet another reason why I'm Batman. Batman always gets punched in the face at least once."

[red_travels]

Axel pouted. "Can't we just...both be Batman?" he asked. "I don't wanna be Robin; I'd look terrible in kelly-green tights." He looked thoughtful. "Who else is in the Justice League?"

Then he chortled. "I didn't get hit," he admitted, "but...I prolly woulda been in a world of hurt if you hadn't been around, kid, so..." He shrugged. "Maybe instead of one of us being the hero and the other being the sidekick, we should just be like...the Wonder Twins or something."

Glancing at Orihime, Axel absently scratched his cheek with one finger. "Yeah, they were pretty cool weren't they? My chakrams..." He grinned broadly. "My dad enrolled me in a weapons class when I was a kid...I dunno if I'm like a black-belt level with them or anything fancy like that, but they're fun to experiment with. I love them...and playing with fire is always fun, so I thought maybe combining two things I love would be good times." He held out one fist to bonk against Roxas's.

"So. Hime--you mind if I call you Hime?--you live around here?" he asked then, angling his head. "Like...is there someplace we should take you? Did they rough you up much? I ain't no doctor, so if you're like actually worse-for-wear maybe we should drive you to the hospital."

[leekspin]

"You could be Ghost Rider!" Orihime suggested helpfully. She knew her comics and heroes...mostly! Enough to know that Axel would probably like Ghost Rider. "He goes around on a flaming motorcycle, and his skull is on fire a lot! He's pretty awesome," she beamed. Sure they were from different comic universes, but logic didn't need to apply in Orihime's wishworld.

She smiled at Roxas's modesty, though an expression of concern overtook her at once when he said he'd been hit in the head. Orihime winced, sucking her breath in between her teeth. "Are you all right? We should get some ice for that, something cold to reduce any bruising!" And she would have jumped right up to get it, if it weren't for the fact that she was still hiding her torn clothing against her knees, and not knowing where the kitchen even was.

But he was coherent, bright-eyed, and cheerful. She supposed she could relax a bit. Perhaps he saw it as a battle wound, a mark of glory! That's how guys were, right? "I don't mind!" she answered Axel, beaming. "It sort of became a nickname last year at school, hee hee! Ahhhh..." Did she live around here? "I'm not really sure where 'here' is, to be honest...we're still in Clairbourn, right? I live about half a mile away from the school."

Quickly she shook her head. "Oh no, no need for a doctor! They're sort of expensive anyway, right? It's nothing serious," she promised.

[red_travels]

Axel barked a laugh. "Ghost Rider, huh?" He glanced at Roxas and put a hand on his chin, making a pouty face. "I dunno...whaddya think Rox? How's my Nicolas Cage impersonation?" He laughed again. "Man, that movie was terrible. But it'd be pretty cool if I could go around with my skull on fire. Bet that'd freak people out..."

He glanced at her then. "Yeah, we're still in Clairbourn; Rox and I just moved here from New York a couple weeks ago. We can take you home if you want. Or you can crash here." He averted his eyes briefly, adding, "I got a big old tee-shirt or something you can borrow so you don't have to sleep in that torn blouse. But if you need to go to a doctor it's fine; my dad works for a big law firm, I'm sure he won't mind. 'Sides, if you live close by, we can let your folks know what happened and they can take care of it, if you're really that worried about the money. Shouldn't stay injured just 'cuz you don't wanna ring up a bill; that's dumb."

[leekspin]

"From New York? Really? Wow..." Orihime breathed. New York people were hardcore apparently, taking down thugs with hardly any injuries to speak of! She wondered if maybe Hollywood got it right whenever they played those tough Brooklyn guys who took nothin' from nobody. Very, very cool.

But better yet, if they were around her age...and they looked like they were...this meant they would go to school together in the fall! AND THAT WOULD BE AWESOME! "What grade what grade?!" she asked excitedly. "I'm a sophomore! Er, well, I was a sophomore, I'll be a junior next year!" She colored at Axel's astute observation, but smiled gratefully. "Ah! I'd appreciate that a lot, thank you!" Then she could sit up, stand, walk around, anything!

She thought about the offer of heading home, but it was really dependent on where she was now, and how far away it would be. Either way, she figured it would probably put out this wonderful little family, and she didn't want to do that. She could walk in the morning, or catch a bus. Besides, she wanted to thank them. "I've got it!" she snapped her fingers, brightening. "If I stay here, I can make you guys breakfast as a means of thanks! Would that be all right?" she grinned. She used to avoid cooking for other people, but as popular as her dishes had become in the Brigade, her confidence was significantly (and dangerously) bolstered. As for her folks...she decided just to not mention that subject lest they decided she required pity or sympathy, and that wouldn't do. Not when they first met!

[red_travels]

"Oh, you'll be a junior next year?" Axel nudged Roxas in the ribs. "You two'll be in the same grade. I'll be a senior, but I'm sure we'll still see each other around school."

Then he chuckled. "Sure, breakfast sounds awesome," he said. "My dad's a decent cook, but...we ain't had a lady in the kitchen in a long time." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah...not sure how much stuff we have in the pantry, though," he admitted; "we just moved recently, so we've been eating delivery since we got here 'cuz Dad's too lazy to unpack the kitchen." He made a face. "Well, maybe the promise of a home-cooked breakfast'll be enough to get his ass in gear."

He got to his feet then, heading for the door. "I'll dig up somethin' for you to sleep in," he said. "You sure you ain't hurt, though?" he asked then. "It's really no problem."

Axel wasn't usually prone to being so nice, but something about Orihime made him...want to be nice. She was so pleasant and cheerful and...effervescent was a good word for her personality. It just somehow made him want to be nice, and it was a little weird.

[leekspin]

"We will? Really?" Orihime looked at Roxas, brightening further. "Yay! Then I hope we get some classes together! And who knows? Sometimes seniors can be in the same class, like math, or foreign language studies, or P.E., but either way we can all eat lunch together, definitely!" She already felt that they would be fast friends, though hopefully, she wouldn't be presuming too much! It didn't FEEL like she was. So that made it okay!

As for having a lady in the kitchen... "Well, people say I make weird things, but lately a lot of people told me they liked it. I'm a master of improvisation!" she lifted an arm to flex her bicep proudly. Which was true. Most of her recipes were concocted based upon what she had on hand, and what sounded good, resulting in numerous odd creations.

"Thank you very much," she smiled at Axel, deeply grateful. "Honest! I don't need to go see a doctor. I just got hit a few times in the face, that's all," she brushed it off with a laugh and a bump of knuckles against her good cheek. "I didn't even lose a tooth!"

[punk_of_hearts]

"Yeah," Roxas agreed with a bit of a smile. "That'd be cool--and don't worry about cooking something too weird. One time? Axel put chocolate chips on pizza, and it was actually pretty good. My mom makes--er--this...uh, this thing, with like...enchilada stuff only it was a casserole and there were olives and like...spinach or something--but it was pretty good, so." The slight falter of his voice as he mentioned his mom was easy to miss; he kind of hoped she didn't ask about it. It was kind of a long story and he didn't want her to pity him or anything. A lot of folks treated him differently because of it, and that bothered him.

"Man, I can't stand guys who hit girls!" Roxas fumed instead, hoping to change the subject. "Seriously, if you'd lost a tooth I'd have to go back there and knock out a couple of theirs. I was pretty nice about knocking them all out--oh!" He smiled a little at her. "C'mon into the kitchen with me; we should get some ice for your face, and my head, I guess. Erm, well, I guess you could put on a shirt first," he amended, glancing at the doorway as if expecting Axel to magically appear on cue.

"Anyway, what classes are you taking? I'm in Latin, or I was, before...I moved," he stated rather definitively. "And I don't really know what advanced classes they've got here, but back in New York I was in like...pre-AP stuff." He wasn't trying to brag or anything, but if she was taking the regular track then they probably wouldn't end up in class together. He could tutor her, though; that'd be pretty cool.

Erm...not that...something. Or anything. But he could. If she needed the help. No big.