[Thread, OPEN]

[livelyangel]

Characters: Rinoa, Selphie, Tifa, Marlene, OPEN
Progress: Ongoing
Summary: Rinoa goes to stay at Tifa's house in Luca. She's there to help Sorceress-in-training Marlene, but this is open to anyone who wants to visit!
Location: Luca
Date: October 4th onwards, 1804 (let me know if you want to specify a day to visit)
Warnings: None

Comments

En route to Tifa's house

[livelyangel]

[This bit is for Selphie!]

[boomchucka]

The minute the duo had disembarked from Garden, Selphie had wanted to race ahead and explore every nook and cranny of Luca. She could smell and taste the salt in the air, feel the sea breeze caressing her skin and just wanted to cheer at being someplace new. At least that was the plan until Rinoa's question stopped her dead in her tracks. She looked at Rinoa curiously before speaking.

"I've been here before, haven't I?"

[livelyangel]

Rinoa nodded. "Yep. The last time we were here was for the Sphere Break tournament back in the summer... Wow, that feels like such a long time ago." She smiled wistfully at the memory. "I was awful. I lost in the first round."

She held out her arm for Selphie to take. "Anyway, I know the way to Cloud and Tifa's house. I can show you the sights on the way. Okay?"

[boomchucka]

"There sure are a lot of different games on Gaia aren't there? I wanna try them all at least once! Do they have Triple Triad here too?"

Selphie pouted after Rinoa explained that she'd been eliminated in the first round. She remembered the first Triple Triad tournament she'd entered at Trabia Garden. Like Rinoa, she too had been booted out in the first round. "It's okay Rinny! With more practice, you'll kick everybody's butts!"

The perky brunette hooked her arm through Rinoa's and looked around excitedly. "Let's do it!"

[livelyangel]

"No, they have their own card game called Tetra Master. It's really complicated." Rinoa sucked at that too. She really hadn't had much luck with games in this world.

"Okay!" Rinoa set off along the docks, heading towards the blitzball stadium. It wasn't crowded, but they were passing people regularly, and she felt a stab of trepidation that someone might recognise her. Rinoa's hair had grown and she looked down whenever anyone passed too close, hiding her face. Unconsciously, she moved closer to Selphie, almost clinging to her. "The blitzball stadium is this way," she said. "I hope it's not too busy..."

[boomchucka]

"Hmmm... maybe we can find someone who could teach us both? It sounds different from Triple Triad."

Selphie felt Rinoa getting closer to her and let her face settle into a neutral expression before she patted the other girl's hand. She could understand the anxiety that the Sorceress must've been feeling and would be willing to fight off anyone who dared to try something. The perky brunette glanced down to check that her rapier was still firmly attached to the belt around her waist.

Selphie didn't want to fight anybody off defending her friend but if it came down to that, then that's what would happen. "It's okay Rinoa. Nothing's gonna happen."

[livelyangel]

Rinoa shrugged. "Maybe." She wasn't all that interested in playing the card game. She'd tried it and didn't like it.

The pat on her hand was reassuring. Rinoa smiled at her friend. "Sorry... It's just - news travels. If people know who I am, if they recognise me..."

[boomchucka]

Selphie dropped the volume of her voice so that only Rinoa could hear. There was a reason the perky brunette had brought her sword along and this was exactly it. "And the Queen of Alexandria let you go in the end right? I'm sure that that news has travelled as well. Besides, if anybody wants to start something, I can take of it."

[livelyangel]

Rinoa nodded. "But a lot of people don't agree with her."

She'd heard rumours. She'd even had people tell her that to her face. There were a lot of people who would probably never forgive her either.

[boomchucka]

"Let them," Selphie supplied before her shoulders shrugged.

It was a tough decision to make but the people who really mattered would come to realize the truth in the end. To people who weren't likely to forgive would be dealt with as they came along. Rinoa was one of them and nothing was going to ever change that.

[livelyangel]

"I guess I don't have a choice..." Rinoa trailed off, before brightening up as she saw the stadium close in front of them. She increased her pace. "There's the blitzball stadium, look! What do you think?"

[boomchucka]

Selphie looked up at the stadium and the excitement she felt just from looking at its exterior had her eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree. She followed Rinoa at a brisk pace before she bolted up the stairs and pointed at the entrance. "Can we go in? Just a few minutes?"

[livelyangel]

Rinoa hung back, biting her lip. "It's gonna be hard to avoid people in there." She had a fear of bumping into someone who recognised her, of being cornered.

[boomchucka]

Selphie had forgotten that as she ran about halfway down the steps before jumping down the rest. She landed neatly before an older gentleman began scolding her for not watching where she was. Uttering a quick apology, the man turned his back and began walking away as Selphie stuck her tongue out at the man. She walked back over to Rinoa and smiled apologetically.

"I'll go another time then."

[livelyangel]

"Sorry," said Rinoa. She felt bad holding Selphie back. "I said I'd give you a tour and I'm not doing it properly... I hate being nervous like this."

She was practically being forced to be shy out in public, and being shy was as alien to Rinoa as her behaviour in Alexandria had been.

[boomchucka]

"It's okay Rin," Selphie said with reassurance. She placed a hand on the other girl's shoulder and smiled gently.

She knew that this was killing Rinoa in more ways than one before the perky brunette was wrapping her arm around the Sorceress' and dragging her away from the Stadium. "Which way are we headed?"