All the poets studied rules of verse

[daddydaioh]

Who: hexyoutotuesday & daddydaioh
Where: a park somewhere
Summary: date night! By which I mean, Jinx was being sarcastic and Tamaki (in fine Host Club mentality) took her up on it and oh he's also got a gift to give her and neither of them know what they're getting into but this will probably end in theatrics at the least and possibly park destruction.
Warnings:

Comments

[daddydaioh]

Ticking? Tamaki looked down at the box, then back at Jinx, momentarily confused. Why would he give her a watch? Was there some symbolism to that particular gesture that he was unacquainted with? No, no, unless--

"A bomb!" Ah, that made sense! She was joking! He laughed and shook his head fondly. "No, no, of course not! Why would I want to give you something that would harm you? If you were to explode, we would not be able to go on our date! And that would be an extreme disappointment for me, after I have been looking forward to this! You wouldn't deny me that, would you?"

Quickly, before she could really react to that, he reflourished the box at her with an air of renewed elegance, the perfect prince type once again. Perhaps she'd missed it? "But, as I said, this is for you! I don't require any thanks or anything, of course, it's just that our conversation got me thinking, and I collected these things for you! And--well, some of it will look quite lovely with your outfit, and it can only help you in your efforts to--well, you'll see! So, open it, open it, open it!" He shook the little box so it rattled at her.

[hexyoutotuesday]

Yes. Yes, she would. Jinx was very close to turning the box, whatever it was, into a bomb just to deny him of anything she could. His voice was much more grating in person. Grating in that it was much too smooth. Like hands that had never seen a day's work.

Once again, he presented the box to her like a windup doll. Finally, she looked down at it, her curiosity rising. He collected things for her? And why was he complimenting her outfit? Should she have worn something shorter? Tighter? Maybe something without sleeves to show off her scars. Scars made the nice ones uneasy. There was still a chance to punch him and walk away. However, when he began to rattle the box at her, her eyes grew just a bit wider. What in the world could be rattling in there? She wanted to paw at it, but kept her cool. Jinx was like a cat, but in the sharp, dangerous way. Not in the playing with bells way.

"Fine," she responded, letting that eye roll overcome her. She begrudgingly took the box from him and opened it. Her cool attitude was demolished when she saw what was inside. Four-leaf clovers, a rabbit's foot, and a cute little bracelet. Jinx did something she did not often do while staring at the lucky charms. She blushed. More than just the natural color that decorated her cheekbones. This was red. Quietly, she reached into the box and picked one of the clovers up between two claws. The moment she held it above the box, the fourth leaf fell off and floated to the ground. "I-- uh... I don't know what to say?"

[daddydaioh]

She liked it! She did, he could tell, from the red flush that bloomed over her cheeks and her momentarily speechlessness. He had known that she would like the gift, of course--everyone always liked Tamaki's gifts; he had a knack for picking out the perfect ones--and even if this present had been a bit rushed, he'd still felt confident in his selections.

"You don't have to say anything," he told her grandly, winking, "just enjoy it! Ah, I was thinking about how you were saying that you wanted to change your luck, so I decided to give you a head start. These are pretty common good luck charms, of course--some people like to start small! I myself would prefer a bigger gesture, but that can come later! Because this isn't done--I have many more good luck charms planned to collect for you!"

Oh--he blinked, momentarily deterred as one of the clovers lost a leaf. He'd scoured the baseball diamond for those just an hour ago, and he'd thought he'd picked fresh and sturdy samples. Well, no matter, there were two others in the box that were still fully formed. She could gather her luck from those instead!

"They're great, aren't they?" He smiled at her and, unable to help himself anymore, leaned forward to pluck the bracelet out of the box. He was particularly proud of it. The horseshoe charm had little black stones on it, and they contrasted nicely with the silver. "So now you can start turning your luck around, easily! Here--" He flipped the clasp of the bracelet open with his thumb and held it out to her. "Try it out!"

[hexyoutotuesday]

How could someone possibly be so nice? It was physically repulsive. And why was he trying to help her? Oh. It must have been one of those charity things. Extravagant, rich people were always trying to help those in need, when really they just wanted to boost their own imagine. It was a good ploy. Host a charity banquet so people would not notice money slipping into other funds, like those for world domination. However, Tamaki did not seem intelligent enough to do anything like that. He was probably as dumb as the day he was born.

When he began to speak, she sort of tuned him out. Carefully, as not to touch the other two, she replaced the clover in the box and looked away from him. It was easy to ignore his wink. He had a pretty face, but she had seen it all before. Maybe she would have played along a few months ago, and maybe have even been charmed, but things were different now. Yoite had a pretty face, too. So did Miharu. Pretty young boys who she wanted to protect. One of them she couldn't protect.

It was not until she felt a weight difference in the box in her hand that she brought her attention back to Tamaki. What was he doing with the bracelet? Oh no. If she knew she could do it herself, she would have snatched the bracelet away from him and put it on her own damn wrist. Yet she knew very well that, with her claws, she would fumble with the clasp if she tried it herself. Okay, he won this round.

"I really don't think this is going to work," she told him in a voice that had tried out every good luck charm under the sun. But she held her wrist out to him anyway. Calloused and clawed hands with bruised knuckles. "Are you always this excitable?"

[daddydaioh]

"Of course it will work!" That seemed a generally negative attitude to take right from the start, but he supposed it couldn't be helped. There were just people like that out there: people who didn't know or understand hope as he understood it! And that was fine, really; the world was full of different people, that was part of what was so beautiful about it!

Ah, but she probably wasn't accustomed to Tamaki Plans. Tamaki Plans always worked, in one way or another! He took her hand, frowning down at it slightly--a hard working girl, was she?--and gently placed the bracelet around her wrist. The claws didn't bother him; they were really just like very long fingernails. He carefully maneuvered his palm around the claws themselves and shook her hand slightly, as if they were meeting for the first time. Well, they were meeting for the first time, but they'd talked over the network before, so it wasn't really a first meeting. "There! It looks lovely, wouldn't you agree? Look at it! The silver really stands out nicely against your complexion, you know!" And it did, really--it suited her quite well!

Smiling and pleased with his choice, Tamaki waited for her response. He liked Jinx already--assisting her with matters of luck would only deepen his fondness for her! After all, she did need his help, even if she didn't acknowledge it, and even if he didn't know the full extent of why she would need his assistance! Well, he would learn it soon enough. Good luck was easy to gain--Tamaki had it in spades! If only he could just harvest some of his luck and hand it straight to her; ah, if only life were that easy.

With a tragic sigh, he tossed his hair, momentarily lost in a world of sadness and regret--regret at the lamentable state of the world. Oh, what a world it was indeed! Ah, but he was here now. He could help her fix it--once he understood it all, of course!

"Excitable?" That word caught his wandering attention. Tamaki blinked for a few seconds, considering himself. "Yes, I suppose so," he concluded, laughing, "or at least, that's what I'm told! But I prefer to think of it as an earnest spirit instead! I am earnest about helping everyone! That's what I love to do best, after all! Er, well, one of the things that I love to do best; there are just so many!"

[hexyoutotuesday]

Putting a bracelet around her wrist. Fine. That was acceptable. The last piece of jewelry a man had put on her wrists were a nice pair of handcuffs. The bracelet would stay better, and was much more welcomed. At least she was not pressed up against the ground while he did this. But... was he trying to shake her hand. If she had eyebrows she would have quirked one at him. Awkwardly, she did not even try to return the handshake, and decided it would be best to just pull her hand away from him before he hurt himself.

Humoring him, she held up her wrist to examine the bracelet. Things like this got in the way of fighting, or they got caught on other things, and most of her jewelry had a way with vanishing off her person if not securely attached. But looking at the silver chain around her thin wrist, she fought back a smile. It really was thoughtful of Tamaki. She liked the way the sun hit it. Maybe this wasn't as bad as she thought.

Jinx fought back pointing out that it was the cheapest piece of jewelry she had ever willingly worn. Diamonds and other precious stones were more to her liking. Though this... she could work with--what in the world was he doing now? What was there to be so tragic about? Did she miss something? Did a small child fall down a well. Blinking, she looked around them until he started laughing and talking again. What was with this kid?

"You should probably hold the box for me. I'll lose it," she told him and handed the rest of the gifts back to him. It was also best she not touch the other clovers. Then with a roll of her eyes and a mildly defeated sigh, she linked her arm with his. "Come on, pretty boy. I'm tired of standing still. Walk with me and tell me about the things you love to do best." Jinx had to say she almost felt bad for him. People like Tamaki should not be let out of the house alone. They'd come back with a family of puppies, or a candy store. Leaving him would be like abandoning a child in the park, and that was frowned upon. Stupid turning over a new leaf.

[daddydaioh]

She was giving the gift--back? Tamaki took the box and looked at it for a second--oh, oh, for safekeeping. Ah, well, that made sense--he was really quite skilled at keeping things safe. Probably she could sense that about him; it was likely inherently obvious. Yes, the gifts would be safer with him. He put the box in his pocket and cheerfully looped his arm through hers, tugging her off along the path towards the center of the park. Oh, there was a fountain there that he could show her! That would be just lovely.

He glanced down at her wrist, momentarily distracted by the loveliness of the bracelet yet again. He really had done a good job, hadn't he? Ah, her clothes were a little worn--was she really that needy? It looked as if someone had set her boots on fire; that certainly wouldn't do! A princess, even a reluctant one, deserved all the finery in the world! Well, perhaps he could find some boots for her--as long as she was more receptive to his aesthetic taste than Haruhi had been! Ruffles likely weren't Jinx's style, no matter how cute she would look in them--but Haruhi! Ruffles were perfect for her! And bows, and mint colored dresses, and--

What? The things he loved to do best? Tamaki chuckled quietly, putting a hand to his chin. Oh, that was a topic that he could elaborate on for hours and hours. He took a deep breath, pushing a hand through his hair, and gave her his brightest smile.

"Well, to start with," he said grandly, "I love commoner adventures! Ah, being in this city is like the largest commoner adventure of them all! There are trains to ride and subways to take and grocery stores--I love grocery stores! All the delightful little products on the shelves, and the bright wrappers, and the inventive instant meals, and the varieties of ramen! Did you know that they make cheese ramen in Canada? Ahaha, have you ever heard of such a thing?"

Oh, but ramen--he sighed tragically and clapped a hand to his brow. "Oh, but I have been forbidden from commoner's ramen, so I will only be able to enjoy it from afar! I don't suppose you are partial to it? I have over a hundred packages that I will not be able to cook any more!"

[hexyoutotuesday]

Jinx was not accustomed to being led places. No, she was usually the one doing the leading. The only time she went where others wanted her to was when she was being paid, or if they were paying for dinner. However, she would make a small exception for Tamaki. She needed the good karma in her life, anyway. What she had done to Edgeworth yesterday was not exactly model behavior. Things were going all right.

...until he started talking again.

She stopped dead in her tracks. With how strong she was, someone Tamaki's size had no chance of even trying to move her. She released his arm, put both hands on her hips, and flung out a highly unamused, "Excuse me?" A child riding by on his bike crashed into a nearby bush. "Commoners? Did you seriously just say commoners? And no, I'm not partial to ramen. No one should be partial to ramen. It's something you cook in the microwave when you're too lazy to eat anything else."

Her eyes narrowed at him. "How do you even definite commoner?"

[daddydaioh]

Tamaki was walking along, talking, when he was sharply stopped by a huge tug to his arm. He frowned slightly and tried to move forward again--but, no, he still couldn't go any further, and when he looked over his shoulder, the reason became instantly obvious. Jinx had stopped walking.

Just as suddenly as she'd stopped she let his arm go. Tamaki blinked down at his hand--usually people didn't do that; they were happy to walk with him, but she was strong-minded and, well, maybe it was to be expected, given her character?

"Er--" He craned his neck a little, trying to see if the little commoner boy in the bush was all right. He seemed to be okay; he was picking himself up, anyways, and there were a few twigs in his hair, but he seemed mostly unharmed. That was good, anyways--but what wasn't good was the expression on Jinx's face. He reviewed his past comments, trying to determine what he could have said that would have annoyed her.

"Ramen is very delicious, you know," he offered, just to get that cleared up. So many people here had such an irrational distaste for commoner's ramen! They'd clearly had the wrong brand. But that couldn't have been what had annoyed her, could it? Not unless she'd had some sort of terrible experience with commoner's ramen.

"A commoner," he said, a little blankly, and waved an encompassing hand, taking in the whole of the park, "you know--people, yes? Ah, but I love them so! The things that they say and do, and their entertainment, and their food and recipes, and their adorable traditions. I am just fascinated with them--for instance, I suppose you've heard of instant coffee, yes? Ingenious, really! The corners that they cut by making it instant, it's incredible!" He paused for a breath, fixing her with a bright smile as he warmed to the topic. "Ah, and my dear daughter Haruhi is a commoner, you know! And she is perfect!"

[hexyoutotuesday]

"People? What do you mean, people? Aren't you people, too. And if commoners are people, then--" He stopped her dead in her tracks at that last statement. With wide pink eyes, she stared at him, blinked a few times, and even opened and closed her mouth once before she could speak. "Daughter? Tamaki, you can't possibly have a... a kid."

For one, he was a kid. People her age were not supposed to procreate, especially when they had the mentality of someone who needed constant supervision himself. Maybe it was figurative? Yukimi had two kids, but they were not biologically his. For one, there was no possible way he could have fathered them with their age differences. But they were his boys and he was their father. So maybe this was the same?

But thinking that Tamaki could ever take responsibility of another living being was beyond her. Really, it boggled her mind. The name Haruhi sounded vaguely familiar, yet not enough to place it. So she let her head tilt to the side in confusion, hand sliding off her hip. He had some explaining to do.

[daddydaioh]

"Well, yes, of course, I'm a person, ahaha!" She really was rather silly, wasn't she? It was quite cute. "But commoners, they're people who--ah?"

He blinked right back at her. Now what had he said? Again, he reviewed his previous statements, running over them in his head, mumbling under his breath to himself a little. Commoners, and traditions, and recipes, and--oh, Haruhi! She was stalled there!

"My daughter, Harui," he repeated with another broad smile. "Ah, you probably haven't had the extreme pleasure of meeting her yet--she's been rather busy with work, you know! But here, I'll show you--" And he immediately began digging in his pocket for his wallet. "Every proud father keeps a snapshot of his dear daughter in his wallet, you know! Ah, I would carry ten photos of her, but one, I don't have room in my wallet, and two, she would probably get very annoyed with me, ahaha!" After some sifting through the cards and bills in his wallet, he found the folded up picture and proudly presented it to Jinx. "See, there's my dear daughter, in the middle! Isn't she cute! And she's a commoner too, you know--ah, I am so lucky to have her by my side! And she's such an excellent cook, too, and--AH!" He was suddenly struck by a brilliant idea (but then, what idea of his wasn't brilliant?) and he eagerly seized onto one of her arms. "You should come over for dinner!"

[hexyoutotuesday]

Oh, good. He had pictures. At least that would make things less confusing. If he were with some random other person, then he was crazy. If he were holding a little girl, then she would just be confused. So she waited, straightening her chin as not to stand there looking stupid. Her eyes dulled a bit with how much digging he had to do to find what he was looking for. By the time he whipped out the picture, she felt a bit of disinterest. That was until he presented it to her.

Jinx stared at the picture for a moment. It was bothersome when he grabbed her like that, because it averted her eyes from the thing, and momentarily she ignored his invitation. She almost shoved him away from her, it was more like a small push as not to hurt him, then snatched the picture away from him to examine it further. Tamaki and five other boys in school uniforms, Haruhi sitting down in the middle of them all. They were all close together. They looked happy. A group of friends at a normal academy. They were all exceedingly handsome and they looked so carefree. So... that's what it was like to be a human where Tamaki was from.

With an almost solemn look on her face, she handed the picture back to the blond boy. "She's pretty," Jinx offhandedly commented. A daughter by association. It was probably just some game that he and his friends played. There was never anytime to play games like that at the HIVE. Who would want to? They were all constantly competing against each other and Brother Blood took the fun right out of them. Literally. He probably brainwashed them right down to an inability to make friends.

There were a lot of things she felt at that moment. Sorrow, that burning flame of jealousy, perhaps a dash of remorse. It was easy being normal, wasn't it? Suddenly, she remembered his dinner invitation. "I don't have the time to come over. Not right now with the play and his condition. So don't bother." And with that, she began to walk away.

[daddydaioh]

Tamaki was in his own world for about ten seconds after handing over the photo to Jinx. He was hardly aware of her pushing him away, or snatching the photo from him, or any of it--no, he was too lost back at Ouran for the moment, and thoughts of Haruhi. She was probably still at work; she worked on Saturdays even, if they needed her to!

"She is pretty, isn't she," he agreed, gallantly accepting the compliment on Haruhi's behalf, "and--"

Where was she going? Tamaki hastily folded up the photo again and slid it back into his wallet, jogging to catch up to her. "Oh, well--it's a standing invitation, you know! Er, but--what play? What condition? Is something...wrong?"

Yes, something was wrong! He could tell, but he wasn't quite sure of what it was. She'd become suddenly dejected--very different from her previous bravado and all--and she likely would be reluctant to offer any details on the matter, but Tamaki's Repair instincts were already kicking in. Did she need help? Well, that much was evident--but what with?

[hexyoutotuesday]

Jinx knew that she could easily outrun Tamaki. If she really, truly wanted to get away from him, it would not be hard. The problem was keeping him away. She had a strong feeling that if she ran off now, she would have at least twenty messages in her voicemail by the time she got home. Internally, she cursed herself for saying anything about anything to him. The play was embarrassing, sure, but it was her slip about Yoite that got to her the most. The dying boy didn't need anyone else doting on him.

"I'm not the kind of girl you invite over for dinner like that," she avoided, walking a little slower. "I'm bad luck, I don't ever eat much, and I'm evil. It's just a bad mix. And I'm busy."

It was not like she needed to intrude on his little family, anyway. Obviously, all the people in that picture were not here in Siren's Port. Haruhi was, though, and that was the problem. They would be happy, smiling, human friends and she would be the awkward third wheel. At least in Yukimi's family, they were makeshift, abnormal, and she held his hand while the boys were not looking. That was a nice evening, if she managed to look past Yoite's sickness. If Miharu could keep his snide comments to himself.

"The answer's no, Tamaki. There just aren't enough hours in the day."

[daddydaioh]

"Ah, but it wouldn't have to be a long dinner! Even a short one would be fine! One course instead of three! No dessert! Wait, dessert is very important..." He would clearly have to think a little harder on this plan.

And of course he noticed how evasive she was. It was impossible to miss. She'd skipped right over onto the topic of dinner. Well, perhaps now wasn't the time to press her--there would be plenty of time for that later. And there would be a later--Tamaki was warming to Jinx with each passing minute. She was a Cause, yes, but she was becoming an Important Cause, an Interesting Cause--and an interesting person!

"And you aren't evil, you know," he told her quite seriously, glancing over at her with a little genuine smile. "Maybe you're bad luck--but not evil evil. It's silly to say that you are when you're not. I've known people who've said they were bad--really good people. My favorite people, actually! But it's okay--and I won't tell anyone, if it's a secret."

[hexyoutotuesday]

Jinx was going to firmly tell him that she did not eat dessert because sweet things were disgusting, there was obviously something wrong with his taste buds, and she did not want to get fat. She was going to tell him that... until he commented on her alignment. It was true that she was not very evil anymore. Evil people did not take care of sick kids or get stupid around certain boys. They manipulated people and never gave a crap about anyone. But after that long conversation with Edgeworth, she was sick and tired of people not taking her villainy seriously.

"You really don't know me, pretty boy," she told him, stopping in her tracks. "And it's no secret. I'm one of the most sinister super villains on the west coast back home and I am, without a doubt, evil."

It was time to prove a point. She sidestepped away from Tamaki and pointed her hand toward a tree. Both her eyes and hand lit up a bright fuchsia color, then a bolt of the same colored energy lashed out at the poor tree. It blackened, began to split apart, then burst in a small explosion. Bark and leaves scattered in the grass around it, some on fire, others just withering away. Her eyes flickered out and she looked back to Tamaki. "See! Evil." Jinx looked rather pleased with herself. The park was now still and silent.