The Rooftop

[-ProcrastinatingSpazz-]

For a second, after Alex's first words, Kira just stood there, looking quite literally stunned. He could've slapped her and gotten the same reaction. She instantly regretted speaking. But, at the same time... this just confirmed her fears. He was trying to charge head first in a relationship, and she wanted to enjoy time with the first friend she'd had in a very, very long time. Being able to call him a friend still seemed a bit odd to her, so the idea of calling him a boyfriend... well that was just impossible.

Still, now things would be stressed anyway. They'd both be aware of the other's feelings and that they didn't match. Of course, that could change. Kira just had to get used to the idea of having friends again before she could move on to the next step. Of course, she'd have to start all over from scratch if things continued like this, because currently he appeared to be holding back some sort of breakdown, thus furthering her blank, stunned expression. She hadn't worded it cruelly, had she? She'd tried her best to say it as nicely as possible. After all, she had a feeling he'd been leaning toward more than just that friendship line, and she felt she should say something rather than play along and lead him on. So in a way... she didn't regret speaking.

Especially when he came to a decision.

She took another half step backwards, blinking at him as he turned slightly back toward her. At the sight of his smile, her own finally flashed back into view, and she nodded her head. Her ears, which had drooped flat against her head with her worry at losing him, suddenly sprang up again, twitching in his direction. Her head bobbed up and down a little too quickly in her haste to reply. She didn't want to show any hesitation, in case he freaked out again. "That sounds great!" she practically cried, stepping sharply toward him again, a little too close this time. "What movie do you want to see?" she added, almost appearing childish with excitement.

 

[THEiawsome]

Its odd how Ristuka ended up here again. She rembered this being the first place she went to before meeting Retro and Luna and all the other odd characters she seemed to have stumbled upon in the green house. 'Odd....' she looked over the edge and down to the campus so many feet below her. In her head she saw herself jump and smash to the ground in a tragic death. Ristuka wasnt suicidal or anything its just the way her mind worked. 'Odd....' Ristuka thought once more.  

[dj_takuya]

Alex couldn't help but smile in the face of her child-like joy. After all, at least he would be able to be near her still. He was glad she was still comfortable being near him. "I don't know what we should see," he said wistfully, his eyes rolling to the stars above them. "Maybe something with vampires and werewolves. Is there anything showing this week like that?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

He went over to the stone bench and sat, inviting Kira to do so as well with a pat of the cold stone. He slung off his cloak again to make a cushion for her to sit on, folding into a neat bundle. "Why don't you have a seat and we'll watch the stars and talk it over?"  

[-ProcrastinatingSpazz-]

Why were so many people appearing on the rooftop? Kira glanced around once more, and then refocused her attention upon Alex to hear his response. She blinked, head cocking softly to one side. "Vampires and.. werewolves?" she asked, sounding genuinely curious. "One of those where they're.. fighting each other, and stuff?" she pondered aloud, eyes following as he seated himself. She trailed after, but paused when he set out his coat. She looked momentarily reluctant to sit on it, but after a pause, allowed herself to do so. She shifted slightly, her eyes reflecting the stars as the peered up at them. Once more, when they caught the light just right, they'd reflect and glow like a real feline's. She'd never noticed.

"Hm... I don't really know what's playing right now," she admitted after a pause, her eyes drifting back toward him. Her pale cheeks still looked a tad pink, but she seemed to have calmed herself overall. Both the worry and excitement had diminished back to a neutral state.

[Just so you know, if you're talking about Twilight... I loathe it. xD]]

 

[dj_takuya]

((I am talking about Twilight, and I used to hate it. Now I think it's inescapable, so I just got used to the idea of it.))

Alex nodded along with Kira's inquisitions. "Yeah, the one where one vampire and one werewolf specifically are fighting over one girl? I kinda wanted to see that one, but I just can't remember the name of it." He looked away from the stars and for the first time, noticed the abundance of others on the roof with them. He recognized Rawrshark, and a few others by sight as those who had been at the dance. "Heh," he said, his former confident demeanor returning. "I might get jealous with all these others around," he teased.

He laughed. "I don't know what's playing either, perhaps we should put off planning what movie we'll see until either of us knows what our choices are?" he suggested. Alex leaned back on the bench, planting his hands on the cold white stone to support him as Kira sat down next to him. He was looking directly at her when her eyes flashed again.

"Hey your eyes did that cat-thing again," he said, pointing a finger back and forth at each of her big eyes. A thought struck him. 'You idiot, she probably doesn't even know her eyes do it.' He felt his face flush with warmth. "Er, what I mean is...did you know your eyes light up like an actual cat's?"

He paused for a moment. "Actually, it's getting pretty late, isn't it? I shouldn't keep you out so late, seeing as how we've got classes tomorrow. Would you like me to walk you to your dorm? Of course, we don't have to leave just yet, if you don't want to." He scratched the back of his head and tried to give her an apologetic smile. "Whatever you want to do."

Alex was surprised that his emotions had settled back down into a semblance of normalcy. Just seconds before, he had been full of himself, trying to choose for the both of them what was right and what was wrong. He didn't like that kind of hubris in himself. But on the other hand, his meddling didn't seem to have hurt the outcome of the situation. Yet. 'Maybe things will work out for me without my intervention. Maybe the only thing I have to do is be myself,' he thought. He smiled. He liked the sound of that.  

[-ProcrastinatingSpazz-]

[Inescapable doesn't mean you have to go see it or accept it. I'll warn you now; If Kira goes, she'll be bashing it after. -blunt- 8D]

"Oh..." Kira replied, her nose wrinkling slightly as she peered toward the sky again, apparently debating something. But she glanced back at him at his comment, letting out a small laugh. "Jealous of these people? There's nothing to worry about," she replied in a scoff. Besides, most of them were female.

"Yeah, that sounds good," she agree, offering another smile. Maybe she could ask someone around there if they knew what the titles were... since she'd likely have no idea. Or, as someone waiting in line for a recommendation. Or... simply listen and see what movie was requested the most. Hm, which method would be best..?

"What?" Kira paused, snapping from her thoughts as he pointed toward her eyes. Her hand lifted as well, rubbing at one thoughtfully. "Really..? I never knew..." It was an interesting discovery she supposed. Had she accidentally freaked someone out about it before? It was probably likely...

At the mention of heading inside, she looked almost disappointed. Her ears flattened a little, sinking down to blend with her dark hair. "I'm not tired..." she said childishly, almost pouting as she stared toward him, shifting a little in her seat. Then again, they weren't really doing anything, and she didn't know her way around this place well enough to find something to keep them occupied. "...are panther's nocturnal?" she asked suddenly, half laughing as she spoke. "I usually stay up pretty late. I don't know if you want to try to find something else to do... or if you're getting tired though," she added sheepishly.

 

[dj_takuya]

((I think I'd rather embrace that I'll be hearing about it, and as such, take an accepting attitude about it. It may not offer me much, but if I can use it to connect with other people, I certainly will.))

Alex let out a light laugh, shutting his eyes and shaking his head. "Well, then. If you say so, I'll be at ease." He folded his hands behind his head and made himself comfortable on the stone bench.

He sat up straight, his eyes fixed on her cat ear as she tugged on it without an ounce of self-consciousness. His easy smile stretched further across his face. "You never knew your eyes lit up like a cat?" His smile turned into a frown and his eyebrows furrowed together. "Hm, now that I think about it, that makes sense. How often would you be able to see your own eyes when they do that?"

Around them, it seemed the rooftop had cleared out and they were left alone. Alex turned his head around, noticing this fact, and his smile returned. "We're alone up here," he noted. He tried not to look too hard in Kira's direction, so as not to make too much of that fact.

He nodded along as she told him she wasn't ready to leave yet. "That's ok, we'll stay up here a little while longer, then." He looked away as her eyes rolled over him. He didn't want to ruin his chances with her by making her too uncomfortable. "I think panthers are nocturnal, yeah," he said. "It's ok if you don't want to hit the hay just yet, I'm not ready to, either."

He leaned back on his arms again, a stiff wind blowing by and up his sleeves. He shivered as the the chill brushed over his shoulders inside his robes and down his back. He tossed his dark hair back as he tilted his head to direct his eyes upward at the starts again. "It's cold out here, but the night is too beautiful to pass up. What a dilemma," he laughed.

Under the stars, he lost himself, feeling impossibly small and lost in the vastness above him. What he wouldn't give to truly know the expanse of space, what it would be like to truly feel insignificant. As powerless as that made him feel, he thrived in that feeling. "Incredibly beautiful," he breathed. He dropped his head forward and over to Kira. "I'm glad I can share it with you."  

[-ProcrastinatingSpazz-]

He was a curious one, this Alex guy. Then again, Kira didn't have much experience with others to compare this one too. Was it normal to form attachments so quickly? True, they had met on a blind date, so he could easily assume that she was looking for someone. But she wasn't. At least, not for a relationship beyond friendship. That level was where she wanted to stay for now, and though she had enthusiastically agreed to stay despite knowing he wanted more, it was still lightly nerve-wracking. She'd certainly be aware of it now. So when he mentioned that they were alone, she shifted a little in place, deep blue eyes darting around before her head gave a slight nod. "Guess so." She hoped that came out casually.

A part of her was annoyed that she hadn't followed her instinct to flee. But, she knew she had to keep calm, or things would happen that she didn't want to reveal just yet.

Her head tilted back, eyes peering up at the sky, still reflecting and glowing beyond her knowledge with each proper catch of the starlight. She lingered there, arms folded across her chest, one soon sliding up to grasp the locket she wore and settled in that position instead. Her expression softened, and she stared upwards peacefully, as if she hadn't a thought in her head. However, that didn't last.

When he mentioned the cold, she jumped slightly and quickly straightened, lifting up a bit to slide his coat from beneath herself, only to shiver when she sat on the cool stone. She tried to hide it as she held it toward him, not wanting to give him a reason to protest. Though, when he spoke again, her hands pulled back so that it was held before herself, still folded and now hiding her face, which had flushed a soft pink once more. "M-me too." She blinked, only her eyes visible as she peered over his coat for a second longer, and then remembered herself and offered it once more. "Here... I don't want you getting sick or.. something." She averted her eyes, looking increasingly flustered. "Since I'm making you stay out here an.. and all."

She paused, eyes still focused upon the ground. "I mean, really... thank you for.. spending tonight with me." She hesitated again, and then decided to go ahead and say what was on her mind. Maybe it'd help him understand why she was stuck on friendship? "I can't really remember the last time I.. had a real friend."

 

[dj_takuya]

Oh. So that was what the true heart of the matter was. She had been lonely, and after so much isolation, she was afraid to be around people again. 'But,' he thought, 'that doesn't make a lot of sense. I don't mean her any harm.'

From the back of his mind, some separate part of him spoke up. 'But she can't know that for sure, can she?' He supposed there were no absolutes, for one could never know the deepest truth in another person's heart? Even though he'd shown her nothing but kindness, and perhaps well-intentioned pushiness, she would need more to be sure of him.

But, the question was, how far could he go without being too overbearing to garner her trust? Could he prove himself trustworthy if she knew everything he was doing might be done out of a desire to be with her? Seemed like a losing situation no matter how he played it.

'This is stupid,' he told himself. 'I'm trying to engineer sincerity. I should just stay true to myself if I want to get anywhere with Kira.' He took a deep breath to relax himself from his extended introspection. 'Just be yourself, you idiot. You never will learn that lesson, will you?'

Alex looked back over to Kira. "But, I don't want you to be cold, either," he said in his Mediterranean flourish. "Not to sound overeager, but my cloak is big enough for us both to stay warm." He forced himself not to look away out of awkwardness, rather than to prove he was sincere, he wanted her to be able to see his eyes. "I mean, it seems a shame for all that extra cloth to go to waste when we could both stay warm, as long as you'd be comfortable with that."  

[-ProcrastinatingSpazz-]

Kira kept her eyes upon her feet, waiting, waiting, and... waiting some more. She was blushing deeper from admitting it and not getting a response. What was he thinking? Was he pitying her? She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and then stared down again. No, he... was nicer than that. He wasn't like the kids at school, anyway. Those were all she really had experience with, which really wasn't a good thing. But, all the more reason to try and keep him. ...not that he was an object.

She sighed quietly, and finally peeked back toward him when he spoke, her body jumping slightly as it broke the building silence. Oh... he wasn't responding to that at all. He'd switched back to the the topic of chilly air. I guess I'd... better too?

Her head turned, blue eyes finding his as she stared quietly for a second, almost studying him. She was trying to find any sign of the looks she received from those at her old school. After a second or two, a smile slowly spread across her lips. He'd passed.

"I guess... it wouldn't hurt," she replied quietly, wishing her cheeks weren't so red, but she could feel the warmth building. She hesitated, and then shuffled a bit closer to him on the bench, until their shoulders were touching. There she paused, fussily smoothing her skirt again. He really did seem trustworthy... but with the lack of friends, she'd also lost the ability to trust others so easily. She was trying her best though, for now. She'd found someone who didn't view her as a freak.

 

[dj_takuya]

Alex kept his eyes up at her through the silence that spanned between them. He could not afford to lose her trust, and thus he could not afford to look away. He kept a kind, honest expression on his face until she spoke.

His face lit up in a smile when. She decided to trust him. She scooted down the bench until her side was touching his, and in response, he reached his arm around her shoulders and draped the heavy canvas around her. It was already warm, thanks to Kira, and it kept the chill away from Alex's bones as he took the other end and wrapped his own torso in it.

He placed his hands in his lap and leaned his head back to look directly up at the stars. "I love the night time sky. There's such simplicity in it, yet we could not possibly know all of what is out there." Astronomy was one of his greatest hobbies, but as it could only be practiced at night, it wasn't as prevalent in his priorities as it should be. "What do you feel when you look up there?" He didn't know if Kira would feel anything at all when she looked at stars, but he figured it was as good a thing to talk about as any.  

[-ProcrastinatingSpazz-]

Kira shifted a little, settling against his side with a soft sigh. This wasn't so bad. He was warm, and though her heart was beating a little too fast, she really didn't think he'd try anything.. indecent. She bowed her head, her fingers folded in her lap and fidgeting slightly with her skirt. It felt nerve-wracking, but strangely alright just the same. This was the sort of thing she'd already wanted to do, but hadn't had anyone to do it with. Still, she wasn't about to rush into a relationship, even if they were being a bit overly friendly already.

At his question, her head tipped back, peering almost meekly toward the sky. Her eyes flashed again under the starlight, and her cheeks glowed a soft pink as her hands fell still upon her lap. "Feel..?" she echoed softly, then paused a moment to think. "...I feel small," she decided faintly, glancing away again and down to her tail. It was flicking, moving and rustling the coat, until it made its way up between them, brushing against their legs. She blinked, tensing a little as she stared up at him. "A-ah, sorry... It just moves..." she explained nervously.

Kira paused, staring down at it quietly, and then reached out, snatching it and holding her tail in her lap so it wouldn't hit him anymore. "But, speaking of stars... I heard they're planning a trip to go there; Space, I mean. Do you want to go..?"

 

[XxRaWrXxShArKxX]

Rawrshark looks up at Nevaeh as she speaks and says "sure? why not." He slowly stands up and wipes the tears off of his face. He looks around at all the people there. ' why did she ask if i wanted to leave' he asks himself in his head.

[Spazz edit; Ah, welcome back! Careful about your post size though ^ ^; This one's a bit short again.]

 

[dj_takuya]

Alex thought about her statement. "Hm, I agree. It's very easy to feel insignificant when you feel in your heart what expanses there must be out there." He smiled wistfully up at the sky, feeling elated by the possibilities of space travel.

He felt a light thump on the side of his thigh and looked down to find Kira's slender, black-furred tail had slid in between them and was tapping his leg in contented occasional shakes. He smiled, he was familiar with feline affection, and he liked the thought of Kira feeling affectionate about him. His red eyes were bright as he turned them upon Kira's face. "Oh, that's ok," he told her. "I really don't mind it."

Then, Kira steered the conversation back to the night sky above them, perhaps intentionally. She asked him about actually traveling into space. He blanched, having never seriously considered the possibility. He had previously thought he would never get the chance to, so he wasn't sure if he really wanted to do it for real. "I guess if we go up into space for real, it stops being a dream. I'd hate for it not to live up to expectations. Y'know, like you felt about dancing at the Boo Bash. I'd like to quit while I'm still ahead."

He frowned and looked down at his knees, placing his hands on them for lack of anything better to do with them. "Is that cowardly of me?" he asked. "Like, am I not brave enough to actually want my dreams to come true?" He huffed out a worried breath. He had never doubted himself before, no matter what. This new emotion was discomforting. "Nothing is as bad as uncertainty..."  

[-ProcrastinatingSpazz-]

Kira blinked at his reply, staring at him in slight surprise, then curiosity as he explained. "Hmm..." She murmured, turning the idea over in her head. Her eyes shifted to her tail, as she watched her hands still fidgeting with it quietly. "Well, I wanted to quit while I was ahead, with the dance..." she replied distractedly. She continued to stare down at her lap, almost unblinking, her eyes narrowed in a soft, thoughtful frown. The idea was appealing to her, in a nerve-wracking sort of way. It was kind of thrilling, like a roller coaster sensation. Or, that's how she imagined it would be. The preparation with building suspense, the sudden take off, and the satisfaction of arrival and the ability to say you did it. She wanted to be able to say that.

Her ear twitched as Alex spoke again, and she glanced at him from the corner of her eye, lifting her head slightly. "...I'm uncertain all of the time," she announced, her frown directed toward him now. "All the time, wherever I am, whatever I'm doing... If it takes a trip to space to make you nervous, then I think you're pretty well off." She paused, and her gaze shifted back toward the sky, wandering over the stars. "It's perfectly normal for people to feel uncertain. They fear the unknown, don't they? And there is a lot they don't know." She flinched a little, but pushed away the building worries that resulted from admitting that. "...I'm going. I'm scared of crowds and closed spaces, being shut in with people... I know I'll probably have to deal with it here, but I'm going. I want to see it." Her voice lowered, mumbling more to herself now. "I wonder if they could knock me out during the trip..."