day 49: early afternoon - The Twin Pines Restaurant

[angels_inflight]

Unlike the nurses, some of the other patients, and the residents of Doyleton, Naminé actually was enjoying the light drizzle. It was a little cold, but the damp feeling in the air was one she was not used to, and that was probably why the Nobody spent the better part of the morning lounging around town, enjoying the light rain. Rain, real rain! It

Comments

[antiheroed]

As much as he wanted to slip away and start investigating the various establishments, it was hard without a nurse coming up to him and seeing if he was finding a friend to talk to. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with a nurse hounding him, but the goal he had in mind was to check out various places. Instead, Riku lurked awkwardly outside of them, before he finally stubbornly stopped somewhere. After some time passed, he realized this wasn't doing it for him, and tugged out his coupons again. His lips twitched down into a frown at them, and he realized what he needed was food. After that, he could start out again. He could find something useful about this sleepy town.

The place closest was the restaurant, and it seemed preferable to having a burger. He wasn't sure he wanted anything like that, anyway.

Riku didn't fail to notice the grimaces on the waitresses' faces when he stepped inside. He turned back to look at his reflection, and he realized why. He might as well have looked crazy, with his silver hair matted against his forehead, eyes mostly hidden, and jacket opened up. All the better to be not bothered for the moment, he thought, but he got rid of that idea the moment he saw a familiar head of blonde hair in the distance. He raised a hand to brush his bangs away from his eyes a little. Normally, he wouldn't bother, but even he was having a hard time seeing, and the area wasn't familiar enough to get around by instinct.

Without inviting himself-he figured, knowing Naminé, it was probably all right-he eased in across from her. "Haven't seen you since I got here," he greeted, and then nodded, as if that handled the rest.

[angels_inflight]

It had been quiet where Naminé was sitting - she wasn't sure if the waitresses wanted nothing to do with her (she had noticed, the stares that the shopkeepers had been giving them), or because it looked like she hadn't decided yet (also true). Therefore, a friend's presence was welcome and one that was a pleasant surprised as the blonde looked up to see Riku sliding in the seat across from her.

"That's true, isn't it?" The witch nodded, perhaps looking a little sad about that. The slight look disappeared though, as she put down the menu and put her full attention on her friend. She was glad to see that Riku was here, and still doing well. Perhaps she was afraid that he would disappear again.

"Are you well? What about the others?" Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen Sora and Kairi ever since that strange day either. Did Riku know about Roxas? There were a lot of things she wanted to ask him, but Naminé could wait.

They hadn't really gotten the chance to just... sit and talk. In fact, Naminé wondered if they ever had that chance. They had other things to take care of back where they came from, after all.

[antiheroed]

It wasn't like he hadn't thought of looking after her at night. The idea that she was out there alone unsettled him, just as much as it bothered him to think of Kairi without him by her side. But it was different; Sora had no way of remembering Naminé, no strong tie to her that made him feel like he needed to keep her safe. Riku felt partially responsible, but he'd been too caught up in his friends' business. Learning about Kairi's recent Darkness and butting heads over business at night, he hadn't been doing a good job looking out for Naminé, as well.

"Yeah, sorry," he apologized, though he wondered if she felt like he needed to. Being so like Kairi in some ways, and unlike her in others, it was sometimes hard to guess. It was the same with Roxas, really; the boy's somber facial expressions and different way of carrying himself were enough to tell Riku that they were different. "I've been meaning to spend a night with you. Going over things. But mostly looking out for you. I hope you've been safe." "Meaning to" wasn't enough, but he did his best not to beat himself up over it. The mental voice of his friends was enough to keep him from sinking into those thoughts. They were rather predictable that way, even subdued as this place made them.

"And they're ... as best as they can be here." The look on Riku's expression seemed to read "not good enough," but he tried to take it in stride. He didn't need Naminé worrying, too.

[angels_inflight]

The idea that Riku had been thinking of her, worrying about her safety and how he had been meaning to spend a night with her, was surprising to Naminé. Riku had protected her before - in fact, it was thanks to him that she had survived long enough to rejoin Kairi, when DiZ had ordered her death. So, in a way, it was sort of touching that Riku had extended his concern and protection beyond that. In that case, she wished to dispel those troubled thoughts. She wished she could have told him sooner, when it mattered, but...

"I've been fine. Actually, I haven't left my room during the past two nights. I know it's dangerous to go alone," She reassured him. To be honest, Naminé hadn't left because she was feeling tired, even after she had gotten so much sleep, but she wouldn't tell that to Riku. He must have been worried enough, and the thought of burdening him troubled her.

The witch remained quiet for a moment, her expression a thoughtful one as she looked down at the table as Riku gave her the status of Sora and Kairi. Yes, that probably was the best news she could hope for. She wondered, if Riku knew about what happened to Kairi. It was regrettable, but she knew that Riku would never abandon Kairi over it, or treat her differently. She was content with that knowledge. Perhaps his past nights had been caring for her, and Naminé would wholeheartedly agree that Kairi needed him more than she did, at the moment.

"I see... What have all of you been doing, anyway? I'm sure you've all been busy during the night," She asked then, feeling a little curious. She knew Sora had involvement with some of the clubs, and perhaps Riku and Kairi were doing the same. They were all doing something... unlike her. While Naminé was accustomed to doing work in the background, she felt like how she was back in Castle Oblivion: trapped, unable to do anything. It was sort of distressing, in a way.

[antiheroed]

Hearing that she hadn't left was a relief, but it also meant that she spent every night alone while people were outside. He remembered what it must have been like for her in both Castle Oblivion, and while staying with DiZ. It couldn't have been easy in either arrangement. While many aspects of their relationship was business, the part of him that needed her to be safe hadn't left him. He wasn't heartless, no matter how many ruthless actions he had to take up to ensure both Sora and Kairi's safety. If it had been up to him, he would have gone without that, but what was done had been done.

"Not agreeing, mostly." It was the truth. No matter how close of friends they were, they hadn't worked together and their idea of how things were meant to go was remarkably different. Riku traced a finger over the top of the table between them while he studied it. "We don't agree on what to do at night. Or how to handle things. We haven't gotten anything done, except for grab some lame baseball bats." That left out the part where Kairi attacked them, and where he had that weird hair growing from him. As much as he would have liked for Naminé to know, he didn't need her to worry. "If you want one, you can have it." Better than keeping it around in his closet, and wasn't that what those things were probably meant for?

"I don't want you getting into danger or to feel forced, but if you ever want to, let me know. I know you don't always have to hang back." On numerous occasions, Naminé had shown how strong-willed she was. Riku felt it would be somewhat unfair to her to make her a sitting duck if she didn't want to be one.

[angels_inflight]

It was... a little surprising, to be honest, to hear that there was discord among the group. But at the same time, she could understand: While Sora and Riku were able to join forces when it mattered, they still had their very different way of doing things. And now that there was the matter of protecting Kairi, it must have been difficult to really agree. Kairi must have had ideas of her own, and Naminé could start to imagine the kind of "disagreements" that Riku was talking about. Yet, something told her it was nothing like the little friendly competitions she saw in Sora's memories.

It was nice to know that, despite that, Riku was still offering to take Naminé out during the night. Yet, perhaps because of what he just told her, she felt like she would be even more in the way. Perhaps it was best to wait until something was resolved, an agreement or compromise made. Even though she knew Sora, Kairi, and Riku, it felt like there was no room for her. Maybe guilt from what she had done lingered.

"Thank you. I... I'm not sure if I'll need such a thing, but I'll let you know." It was the least she could do, not wanting to turn Riku's offer down completely. She thought it might cause him to worry more (or worse, insist). "I do have some other friends who have traveled with me before." Falis came to mind, someone whom she admired a lot. "But, I hope you three can work something out. If you need anything, please let me know as well."

There had to be... something she could do. Even though Naminé didn't want to take up Riku's time, she really didn't want to sit around doing nothing. At least the three of them were trying.

While they were speaking, it seemed like one of the waitresses finally took notice of them. Naminé barely had time to look before being asked "if y'all wanted anything." and the witch was a bit caught off guard. Oh no... she didn't even decide what she wanted yet!

"..." She looked at Riku, perhaps looking a little more lost than she intended.

[antiheroed]

Though he wasn't completely satisfied with her answer, he wanted to ensure that she was safe. That meant that he would ask where her room was, and maybe surprise her. He doubted that he and Sora would end up going out every night in the future. It seemed like they were close to reaching a compromise where Sora would do club activities, but Riku still wanted none of it. He wanted to speak up, but the nurse reached them, and his head angled a little, lips quirking in an odd shape at the accent. It wasn't important, though, it was just different.

"Not the steak," he spoke up, but he didn't want to make Naminé's mind up for her. Riku figured she would catch on to the fact that there was a reason why he was wary of the steak. Any place that was so tightly connected to Landel's with signs up about steak had to be suspicious; it was possible that it was another tool, even if he hadn't been particularly suspicious of the food inside the place. He still wouldn't take any chances out here, not when there could be an opening to free him and his friends wherever he turned.

Unfortunately, that was all he decided. Frantic to make up his mind, he turned over the menu to find the section with seafood. That would work. Given that this place didn't look like it was close to any bodies of water, he didn't know how good it'd be, but it would be close enough. "The salmon meal sounds good," he added. "With ..." And then he paused, trailing off, and looking at the additional sides. He figured that would be enough time to give Naminé a chance to look at the menu. The waitress wasn't someone whose opinion really mattered to him, and he figured she was either brainwashed or thought he was really.

"The soup of the day." It was decisive enough, but he admitted to himself that it felt a little strange doing something so normal as eating in a restaurant after everything. Riku felt a little sheepish trying to hold it all together.

[angels_inflight]

Since Riku had refused the steak, Naminé decided to follow suit. Such a thing wasn't to her taste... and she understood, a little. Having been in Landels for so long, the witch more or less trusted the food (mostly out of necessity: there were precious few alternatives), but Doyleton was another matter. Especially after hearing about the undead rising... Naminé tried to fight down the sudden bout of nausea that overwhelmed her and flipped to the same section of the menu Riku had been looking at.

Seafood made sense, especially considering Riku's island origins. It was also something new for the witch, which was why she decided to order the same thing, with a vegetable side instead of soup. It was definitely different, doing something that should have been 'normal'.

"... This is the first time I've eaten at a restaurant," Naminé quietly observed, the significance of this otherwise minor event sinking in slowly. It was a shame that it had to be here, but on the other hand, it was pretty clear why she seemed surprised.

[antiheroed]

"I guess there are some good things about being here, then," he decided. "DiZ ... and even me, I guess. We never really let you get out much. It would've been dangerous." That was the rationality he gave for it right now, but he figured Naminé would recognize why he didn't mention the other reason for why she never got out. DiZ only wished to use her, and Riku forced himself to be ruthless enough to go along with it. Now that they were here, he didn't pretend to be that changed person; even if decided to slip into that persona, it wouldn't solve any problems. And Sora, Kairi, and even Naminé-they wouldn't stand for it.

"You'll experience a lot more once you get back to the Islands," Riku went on. "You'll still be here for Kairi, won't you?" His hand raised over his heart, and then he pointed at the side of his head, to indicate where she might still exist. It was optimistic, especially for him, but he needed to believe his friends would overcome this obstacle. Still, for Naminé, he wondered if that was even properly optimistic. Maybe not, but he didn't know for sure.

After all, some part of Riku wanted to believe it was better for Naminé and Roxas to be with their Others, but he couldn't say for sure. The fact of it made him feel better, regardless. But it was probably just some belief he cooked up. Despite all the Darkness that lingered in his heart, he never knew what it was like to not feel whole.