It's Amicus! [OPEN]

[tidesnpc]

Characters: Anyone from Serenity
Content: It's Amicus once again and Bydan has their celebrations prepared and ready. However, current events have put a dark cloud over the holiday.
Setting: Anywhere on Serenity or in Bydan
Time: All day during Amicus
Warnings: Paranoia? Angst? Parangstoia?

Comments

Badou and Hiyori, around Bydan.

[gimme_smokes]

Despite the news of the explosion at Hegua Lake, Badou had still taken himself off Serenity and into Bydan. He had arranged with Hiyori earlier in the day to meet up near the festivities, but before that, he needed to stock up on cigarettes and buy her a gift.

Everybody else on Serenity had received a little something from him for Amicus, and seeing as he'd gotten something special for Hiyori last year, it was only right to do the same again. Only this time, he intended to actually hand her the flowers himself. He had the sneaking suspicion he would face her wrath, but he figured following the flowers up with an offer to treat her to dinner would be a plus. Maybe this time he wouldn't have his plans crashed, too. Just maybe.

He waited for her in a slightly more secluded area near the town center. He guessed that handing Hiyori a bouquet of red and white roses in the middle of a crowd, possibly containing members of Serenity's crew, would not go down well.

He wasn't nervous. He was telling himself that, anyway. It was easier to believe, because he wasn't even sure if this was a date. It kind of felt like a date, but then, Badou hadn't asked a whole lot of girls out on dates before. Hiyori included. He'd never actually said the word 'date' to her. At least, it was flowers and some food. Nothing to be nervous about, right? Right.

Still, he lit up a cigarette to take a few drags before she arrived.

[fanged_brat]

Hiyori took her time. She wasn't going to rush out just for Badou's benefit -- she wasn't that type of person. Instead, she waited until she was at the point of standing him up and then strolled up, looking as sullen as ever. Her pigtails were neat and her scowl was in place and, as Badou may or may not notice, she hadn't gone to any lengths to pretty herself up, despite knowing that it was Amicus.

Well, she wasn't going to make an effort, was she?

[gimme_smokes]

By the time Hiyori showed up, Badou was taking the last drag of his thrid cigarette. After smoking it almost down to the filter, he dropped the end to the floor and crushed it with the boot of his toe as he exhaled. In all honesty, the fact that Hiyori had taken her time did nothing to calm his nerves. If it came down to it, if she stood him him up, he could just bail and act like it was no big deal. Still, now he was out here, he'd rather stick to his guns.

As he looked up from stubbing out his final cigarette, he saw her sullen stroll up to him and he felt a mixture of relief and anxiety. Well, she'd showed. That was good. And it wasn't like he was expected her to show up in a pretty dress with a grin slapped on her face. He'd have been more likely to run away from that than her almost default scowl.

He straightened up and offered her a smile as she walked to meet him. "Hey. You came."

He smiled a little more and, choosing not to beat around the bush, extended the hand carrying the bouquet of roses for her, "Uh. Happy Amicus, Hiyori."

[fanged_brat]

She looked at him as though he was stupid. Captain Obvious is clearly in command of a pirate ship and wears an eye patch.

"Of course I did, idi--"

Then she caught sight of the flowers. He'd got her flowers. What a soppy, romantic idiot. Who said this was going to be a date anyway? She sure as hell didn't. Still, she stopped, surprised, and coloured instantly.

[gimme_smokes]

Badou wasn't exactly sure what to make of her sudden pause. That had, for sure, been a blush rising to her cheeks. In most cases, he assumed, that could only be a good thing. However, Hiyori had her own special way of surprising him. Usually with pain.

He reminded himself again that today he was sticking to his guns and kept the roses held out for her to take. At least that way, if she meant to cause him pain for doing something as unheard of and alien as giving somebody flowers for Amicus, she'd have to get past the bouquet before she got to him. Vital seconds in which to protect his... vital parts.

"C'mon, y'could at least take a closer look at 'em. I swear, they don't bite."

[fanged_brat]

She took them from him, surprisingly gingerly. If he had been expecting her to swipe them and smack him about the head with them, he was sorely mistaken. She knew full well that flowers were stupid, delicate and girly things, so she didn't do anything that would damage them. She rolled her eyes as she did, though.

"I'd hope not," she muttered, perhaps not as aggressively as she might have intended it to be.

If they were going to bite, she'd tell him not to get flowers from that stupid pink-haired Quartermaster next time.

[gimme_smokes]

Badou watched as she took the flowers from him, surprised at how gently she was handling them. Nicely surprised, of course. Things were going much, much better than expected. When he was free of the flowers, he tilted his head and shoved his hands into his pockets as he asked,

"So... you wanna go eat? Even with all the bad news, there's still gotta be somewhere around here that's serving decent food."

[fanged_brat]

She held them in both hands, close to her chest. It was the easiest way.

She looked over the bouquet to look up at him and nodded, a little too eagerly. She didn't want to look -that- eager for the dinner part of the 'date', but it was difficult when she wanted to stay off the subject of the flowers she was holding.

"Sure," she said, sounding deliberately sharp and casual.

[gimme_smokes]

Badou couldn't help but ignore the tone of her voice in favour for the fact that at least she was still interested in spending some time with him. He gave her a smile and turned to start heading off in the direction of the festivities.

He could deal with Hiyori the way she was. In reality, he figured he wouldn't have been totally sure what to do if she'd suddenly gushed over the flowers and made a big deal of it. That wasn't the girl he enjoyed hanging around with.

He looked down at her and thought for a moment before asking, "Come t'think of it... I don't even know what your favourite kinda food is. Is there anythin' y'like to eat especially?"

[fanged_brat]

"Not really," she said, shrugging. "I like rice, but that's kind of a boring choice for a dat--..."

She blanched, then blushed.

"You pick," she recovered, avoiding his eyes.

[gimme_smokes]

Sure, he knew he'd probably suffer for it at some point in the future, but at Hiyori's half comment, Badou allowed himself a grin.

"Hey, I could eat rice... And y'know, y'should eat what y'like... Date or... no date."

He tried his best to wipe the grin off his face. He really did.

[fanged_brat]

Hiyori couldn't help but notice that he didn't try very hard. She narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't say anything or threaten him with violence. She was trying to be good.

"Let's see what's goin', then we can decide." She said, surprisingly diplomatically.

[gimme_smokes]

If anything, Hiyori's surprisingly cool and calm attitude was a little worrying. Nice, sure, but still worrying. It kind of seemed to Badou of those cases of repressed rage you hear about, where the person just flips out one day and kills a whole load of people...

Probably best not to think about stuff like that.

He cleared his throat, tried once more unsuccessfully to wipe the smile from his face, then said,

"Sure. Man, I'm starvin'. It'll be a good change to get away from the food on the ship... Not that the food there is bad, or anythin'. For some reason it just tastes better when you're someplace new."