savetheearth | [OPEN] The monster mash

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[OPEN] The monster mash

Who: Badri and YOU.
What: Impromptu halloween masquerade
When: Halloween night, 10pm onwards
Where: A wedding chapel in Vegas. Y-yeah.
Warnings: None - shoot me a PM if anything needs adding!

[ Any of the Numbered who have set foot outside today are likely to have seen some of the rather unique posters plastered around on every available building/lamppost/fence/beloved family pet. Observe the glitter-saturated horror. ]

[ Y E A H. Regardless of which echo boundary they're in, the notices are everywhere. Some lucky Numbered may even have had one shoved into their mailbox! GOSH. There's also an address for a weddng chapel in Vegas (confusing many Fussen locals in particular) and a note that masks are mandatory and will be provided to people who don't already have one. How considerate!

C'mon, ~~Numbered~~ Specials. Party with Badri and forget all the horrid stressful things that are happening. ]

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[Okay, that is a pretty good point. Raye had been there for Rakka's wings appearing too and that had been pretty brutal alright. She probably could handle it if Raye's feet slipped up.

It's a good thing for the mask because Rakka's small laugh doesn't do much for Raye's embarrassment right now. And when the other girl offers her hand again, she pauses for a moment before huffing a little. Jeez, it was just dancing.]

Alright. Guess I can give it a shot.

[Just a little hesitantly, she reaches out and takes Rakka's hand.]

Great, come on.

[It was just dancing, to Raye at least. To Rakka, it was more that that; this was what she came here for in the first place.

It was pretty interesting, suddenly having Raye's hand in hers as the faux-angel led her friend out to the dancefloor. They weren't going to be in the middle of it, she wouldn't do that to Raye, but they'd be close.]

Okay. So... You put your hand here... [Rakka searched her memory for the right information. With a little hesitation, she brought Raye's other hand around to her back, just beside the wings, while putting her own on Raye's shoulder.]

[She smiled cautiously.] It's easy. Just... follow my lead, okay?

[This whole situation is about as far out of Raye's element as she can ever get. Still, she'd agreed to it and she's not about to back out now so she heads out onto that dance floor, hand-in-hand with Rakka.]

Okay. Gotcha. [She nods a little, following Rakka's directions and putting her hand on her back, the other still wrapped around Rakka's and gives a little glance as Rakka's other hand goes to her shoulder. This... really is unfamiliar territory. Not just dancing but being close like this... but she can't say she doesn't like it.]

Okay. [She nods after a moment, drawing in a breath.] Let's do it.

[Raye was, in a sense, braver than Rakka for that. Having seen her fair share of formal events due to her parents, the Haibane was more used to things like this. Though, this was the first time she was actually having fun as she danced.]

[She look over both of them. The posture was correct, or as much as she could remember it to be. Seeing as they were this close to one another, Rakka felt a sense of small relief that both of them wore face-obscuring masks.]

Okay, just follow me.

[A slow, deep breath that didn't calm her what-so-ever, and the dancing began.

Thankfully, the music was slow now, so it was easier to lead Raye along. Half of Rakka's gaze was on Raye's face, the other half was on her own feet. One, two, three. One, two, three...]

See? It's not that bad, is it?

[Leave it to Raye to not back down from any kind of challenge, even one like this. She herself had... well, she'd never really been to any kind of event like this. There was no way in Hell she'd ever have agreed to a dance like this just a little while ago but, right now... it doesn't seem like such a bad idea.

Another nod when the music starts and they're off. Right now, most of Raye's attention is on her feet, focused on keeping step with Rakka. Which she does, a little clumsily, but she hasn't stomped any toes just yet so that's promising enough, right? Then Rakka speaks up again and she's suddenly very much aware of her again. How close they are, the hand on her back.

It's... nice.]

... Nah. I guess it isn't.

See? It's pretty easy, once you get the hang of it. You just need to do it.

[...Aha, why did she have to say that. Rakka could already sense the irony in the statement she'd just made. Especially now that they were literally dancing together, hand in hand. A brand new, but nice feeling.

But, she did her best to swallow her fears. This was it, no backing down now. She'd promised herself that.]

[They continued to dance for a few minutes longer, slowly and in silence until Rakka finally made a sound.] H-hey, uh... Raye?

Yeah, I guess so.

[Just get in there and do it. That's at least an idea she can get behind. Besides, it was surprisingly easy to just kind of tune out the rest of the party like this. Just focus on the dance and Rakka and nothing else.

And get the hang of it she does. She's still a little clumsy but pretty soon she's keeping up pretty well, maybe even relaxing and having fun a little bit. Her hand even shifts a little on Rakka's back, holding her a little firmer, more confidently.]

Huh? [She looks up when Rakka speaks, yanking her out of her thoughts.] Yeah?

[She notices the change in Raye, albeit only right before she speaks up. It was so great seeing Raye have some fun for the first time in forever. If this didn't go as planned, Rakka would feel even worse for ruining it.

Finding her gaze meeting Raya's own, Rakka could only sputter for a few seconds. The masks did not help at all.]

W-well... I... There's something I have to tell you. [ahaha]

[Raye blinks when their eyes meet through the masks, and when Rakka seems to lose track of her own words for a moment. Whatever it was she has to say seems kind of serious. She blinks again, frowning a bit in worry although she doesn't falter in her dance movements.]

Okay... what's up? Everything alright?

Yeah, everything's... uh...

[Now or never. Now or never. If it wasn't for the masquerade mask she wore, her flustered expression would have been easily noticed.

How would she react to this? Was there really only one way to find out? The plan had already been made though, and they were already dancing. Rakka knew that if she didn't say it now, she'd probably never be able to again.

She breathed in, steeling her nerves.]

Yeah, everything's fine, I promise. It's just that... I've been thinking a lot, Raye.

[Breathe in, breathe out.]

I've been, uh, thinking about you, Raye.

[... She says that but something's definitely up. Mask or not, she can tell something's up and she can hear, even feel, those deep breaths Rakka takes. Raye's eyes narrow slightly, that concerned frown not leaving her face just yet.]

Okay....

[About her. Finally, she misses a step, something fluttering in her stomach. She feels Rakka breathe again under her hand, and the worry flickers out of her eyes, replaced by something a little uncertain and a little confused. Her own mask is also proving pretty handy right about now.]

About me?

Yup. [She states frankly, feeling the heat rising in her face as the moment stretched on, not even noticing as Raye misses a step. Come on, Rakka.]

It's nothing bad. Don't think that.

[Come on. Spit it out.]

It's just, I've been thinking about it for a long time, and I didn't know how you'd react, but I had to tell you eventually or else I wouldn't know what to do.

[The dancing slowed, basically coming to a halt. It wasn't like Rakka was focusing on that anymore anyways. Her gaze was set now, ready to meet the inevitable head on.]

I... like you, Raye. And, I mean, I really like you.

[That brings the dance to a sudden halt as Rakka finally blurts out her confession. There's no mistaking that, no different way to take it, even to somebody as thickheaded as Raye can be. For a second, it's like being caught in headlights.

She needs to say something now, she knows that but... what? Something like this, she hadn't even thought of anything like this. Hadn't thought, or felt anything since the attack and what followed....

Except that wasn't entirely so, was it? For nearly every moment since then, she'd felt that... anger seemed like such a small word for it but what else could she call it? That burning rage, that drive to strike back and hurt the people responsible the same way she had been hurt, the feeling that drove out and smothered everything else. Every moment except a few. When she'd been with Rakka. Those times she'd felt... calmer somehow. Calm enough to come to some stupid party like this that she wouldn't normally set foot in. Calm enough to dance with her like this.]

Rakka. I....

[She trails off. She's never been good with words and feelings and putting them together and this is even tougher. She's confused, conflicted, both with what she finds herself suddenly wanting to do and not wanting to drag Rakka into what's still about to come.

Still, where words fail, actions step in, at least a little. Raye's eyes shift toward she's still holding Rakka's hand and her fingers wrap a little tighter around hers. Still gentle, but a gesture nonetheless.]

[The confession, as good as it felt to finally get it off her chest, icy pangs of fear immediately welled up inside Rakka's stomach. She could tell this was a big surprise to Raye, even with the hockey mask obscuring her face. It was all in her eyes.

Her heart was in her throat as the Haibane shook her head.] I-I didn't tell you, because I didn't know what you'd think. But, Jasmine figured it out, and then Emi did...

[She prattled on, a side effect of her panicked backtracking.]

I knew that the party would be a good time to tell you, and I really wanted to make you feel better after... [She didn't finish that sentence, only shaking her head once more.] If you're angry, I understand. I-I'm sorry, Raye. I...

[She trails off as well, finding her gaze drawn down to her hand where Raye had just given her a gentle squeeze, a clear gesture if she ever saw one.

She didn't know what to say, frankly, she didn't think she should say anything.]

...Raye...?

Edited 2014-11-28 22:36 (UTC)

No. [She answers quickly, shaking her head as well.] I'm not... I'm not mad.

[She follows Rakka's glance toward their hands. She felt something there, that much she knows, something different than with the others but no less unfamiliar. She doesn't know what to think, or really what she feels. A day ago she'd been preparing to go to war with anybody in the city connected to the mafia, had her course set and clear cut and now....

She doesn't let go of Rakka's hand though.]

I just.... [She huffs a short, frustrated breath, looking away.] Sorry. I'm no good at this stuff.

[It was a small relief that she wasn't mad, though Rakka could not shake the small feeling of guilt she felt for admitting her feelings to Raye. While it was ultimately a good thing, she knew that Raye's mind had been occupied before...

The hand is still being held, which means that gives her the ability to use her other hand for things, such as finally removing her mask.]

Well, I'm not that good at it either. [She chuckled sheepishly, trying to put a bit of humor into the situation.] After all, it took me a few months to finally tell you this. So, it's okay.

Months, huh? [She chuckles a little herself, despite everything.] Don't tell me I'm that scary.

[Still, it all leaves her with a question of just... what it is she's supposed to do now. Or say. She knows that she has to decide on something, Rakka deserved that much after everything, just... what? Was it right to say yes right now? She still has her fight, still has so much to do and... and there's no guarantee that everything will turn out okay. But at the same time... she doesn't want to walk away from Rakka either. Just like that camping trip. She could say whatever she wanted about drinking too much and stumbling into the wrong tent but she knows the truth.

She'd really just wanted to be close to Rakka.]

So, I... uh.... [She huffs out a breath and them grumbles as the mask catches it. Stupid thing. Huffing again, she reaches up and yanks the dumb thing off her face. She's still... struggling with what to say. There's what she wants and then everything else. So many problems, so many reasons why this isn't a good idea and--] ... Aw, fuck it.

[She'd almost died once, and even before that she'd lived with too many regrets and missed chances. Hadn't she said she wasn't going to live like that anymore? Words still aren't coming, so she does the next best thing she can do. Leaving the mask dangling from her wrist, she circles her arm around Rakka's back again but this time she closes the small gap between them and draw Rakka in, holding her close. It's not exactly her smoothest move, her stomach's fluttering and her heart is hammering away with nerves, but she manages.]

So... you wanna finish this dance?

[... Ugh. She really is awful at this.]

Oh, no. It's just that I was just too worried... I guess.

[About what, she couldn't really decide on. There was the obvious answer of "Raye would not take it well" but there was also "I've never done this before at all and my own insecurities were dragging me down".

Such was life.

The wait for Raye's next reply was quiet. It was entirely up to her what happened next, and Rakka wasn't going to complain, not after everything else that had happened. It was a little amusing that they'd both shed their masks. It was probably symbolic in some way, but Rakka didn't bother to think about that.

Of course, with the masks off, Rakka's surprised look as she was pulled closer to Raye was much more apparent. Nerves were at an all time high now, and the emotions in Rakka's chest could barely be contained.]

...[Still, she smiled brightly, probably the largest smile she'd had in weeks.] Yeah, I'd like that. You're getting good at this.

Right.

[It's not that it isn't fair to worry about. Go back just a little in time and Raye might not have reacted quite the same. But things weren't the same between then and now, she'd lost a lot, nearly lost her life all together. It made her not want to let things slip away so easily, and even if she might be a little unsure, what she knows now is holding Rakka like this... she feels better.

The hurt and anger over what happened, and the guilt of what she'd put her friends through because of it, it's not gone but right now at this moment, it just feels better.]

I'm not too sure about that. [Rakka's smile brings one to her face as well, a touch smaller but no less genuine. It's nice to see and some of her nerves dissolve, enough at least to let her arm settle around Rakka's back a little more comfortably and actually start taking a couple of steps with the music again.] Let me give that leading thing a try.

[It was part of Rakka's plan all along. She had seen Rsye lose so much recently, and she knew Raye would try to muscle through it, no matter how bad things were. Whether she would have admitted it or not, she needed someone to be there for her.

And Rakka wanted to be there for her. It felt right, in a way. A guardian angel of sorts.]

Uh? [She found herself momentarily flustered by Raye's smile. It had been a while since she'd seen her do that. She gave a nod though.] Sure, go ahead.

[Settling into the groove, Rakka made herself comfortable against Raye as they danced. She knew that there was no way this would fix all their problems.

But, for now, it helped.]

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[OPEN] The monster mash

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