estoria | [closed] down memory lane

Entry tags:

iv,
leia rolando

[closed] down memory lane

Who: Leia and IV
When: A day or two after Jude's disappearance. (probably 2/17)
Where: -eeeever you are [titanic voice] (entertainment district train station to start, most likely)
What: Loss.
Rating/Warning: Nada.

[When Jude didn't answer her calls or texts, she was a little annoyed, but not really surprised. It's soon forgotten, and she figures he's keeping busy with everyone recovering from the disaster that was Valentine's. That's good. When she decides to drop by his apartment the next day and there's no one there to answer the door, she skips feeling annoyed all together, and still isn't surprised. He spends more time at work than at home, and she figures she can catch him there another time. No problem.

...When she actually shows up later at the office where he works, with his lunch (as she tends to do, at least once or twice a week), she has to wonder how she keeps missing him. She sighs, and is forced to walk out with her hands full, which bothers her a bit more than it should. (Maybe he actually remembered to step out and get lunch for himself?)

It isn't until she's on the train bound for the entertainment district that she pulls out her CereVice again to give it another shot. She has to stare at the screen for a long time before she can actually read the words.]

User... not registered? What does that--

[But she knows what it means.

People start to shuffle off the train (when did it stop?), and Leia follows suit with a sigh. There's no time for it to really sink in, and no regard for what station she actually stopped at (but hopefully it's the right one). She just has to keep moving, expression distracted and blank as she bumps into a familiar figure.

The bag hanging from her hand swings. As distracted as she is, she too polite not to stop and look up.] Oh.

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[Leia ponders on this while taking a good look herself. At least in the aisle they've chosen, the toys seem a little too childish.]

I don't think that really came up over our lunch date, but... [She tilts her head in thought.] I'm more worried about Ryouga anyway.

[IV hums, his tone unconcerned in contrast to Leia's.]

Ryouga's easy. He's fond of sharks.

[He pauses to pick up a small plushie of the great white shark. A wide smirk stretches across his face.]

Did you know? That's what everyone calls him back in Heartland.

[ . . . now she's laughing, because that's got to be the goofiest great white she's ever seen. She reaches to take it in her hands.]

No way. Why?

[Oh, a thought occurs to her.]

Is it kind of like how everyone calls you IV?

[IV relinquishes his hold on the plushie. He lowers the same arm to pocket his hand.]

My guess is because he uses a water-themed deck. You wouldn't believe how aggressive he is when it comes to dueling. But unlike me, he didn't pick up a nickname to replace his real name.

[He couldn't have, not when all official documents still list him as "Kamishiro Ryouga."]

[So it's not quite the same situation, name-wise. Still, it's not that hard to imagine him as an unforgiving opponent, no matter what you call him.

Leia takes the shark, hugging it as she shrugs.]

I don't know about dueling, but I believe he's aggressive.

[Which means him and stuffed animals probably don't go well together... but who knows.]

[Believing is only half of it. If Leia were to see how obstinate Ryouga gets when things start to come down hard, even she might be surprised, or so IV thinks.]

Ah, you're right. There's no reasoning with him once he gets that way.

[He peels his gaze away from the row of plushies to find Leia hugging the great white shark. IV laughs once, the sound an explosive exhale.]

What, do you like it that much?

[She knows other people like that, too. It's not hard to imagine Ryouga among them, but she'll happily answer when IV's attention wanders elsewhere.

She hadn't realized she'd been clinging that hard to it. She glances down and catches a glimpse of the shark plush's upside-down face; then starts to wave its fins around like hands.]

Why not? It's cute.

[Goofy, but still. The store in general puts her in a good mood. She adopts a childish, mocking, yet affectionate tone.]

Raaawr! Duel me or I'll eat you!

[He watches the waving of the plush's fins, finding Leia's little dialogue ridiculous but endearing, and then huffs with mirth.]

Is that supposed to be Ryouga or just you playing around?

[He turns away to start down the aisle again, though they're close to its end, so he waves as he turns the corner to the next aisle over.]

If you think it's that cute, you can always buy it for yourself.

[ . . . When IV starts to walk away, she sticks out her tongue at him and decides she'll let him decide the answer to that question. She'll take the great white with her and return it to a bin they come across not long after, which seems to have more.]

Maaaybe, but I shouldn't lose my focus.

[One in particular catches her attention, and she'll pull it out to read the tag.]

Hey, how about this orange one? It says it's a 'nurse shark' . . . [She likes nurses! And orange.]

[IV directs his wandering gaze to the bin Leia's standing around before it settles on the nurse shark. It figures she'd pick that one.]

That's an actual shark? They really do come in all shapes and colors.

[It sure seems that way. Leia especially likes the odd color, though; she tilts her head and seems to be considering this seriously. Trying to think as someone other than herself is hard.]

The question is what kind of shapes and colors he likes.

[She wonders if the twins are picky.]

[If she were to ask, IV would be inclined to think they're not. Well, he can't speak for Rio, but Ryouga's softer than he lets on in front of most people.]

I doubt it matters all that much to him. A shark's a shark, after all. In fact, one of his monster cards has an orange color like that.

Really?

[She looks more hopeful then. She should have figured his deck would be full of sharks, with a nick name like that; especially since IV mentioned it was water-themed.]

Then I'll think about it.

[And she clings to it the same way she did the great white as they continue to browse. This one's bigger and fits in her arms more comfortably . . . did she just want something to hug and hold onto?]

[If IV has taken notice (he has), he isn't saying anything. Continuing to take the lead, he moves onto the next aisle, which departs from the toys to showcase books. He gives head a slight tilt, wondering if they're worth the time.]

Books? . . . What do you think?

[Freeing one of her arms, she reaches forward to grab one. A lot of the books seem educational, full of colorful, cartoonish pictures and simple words--clearly for children. There are some magazines though that are equally colorful, but with a higher reading level.

The one she grabs happens to be about dogs . . . and it's a pop-up book.]

Oh, look! [It's a pleasant surprise. She turns slightly to show him, though it occurs to her as she continues in a laugh:] They might be too old for these, but...

[Despite the questionable format, IV steps up and takes the pop-up book from Leia's hand. He turns it over, studying the back, before he flips it back to open the cover.]

I wonder . . . does Rio also like dogs?

[He sifts through the thick pages. Never mind them – this is nice to glimpse at out of personal interest. He lingers on the page with the picture of a large white dog and then raises his head.]

What kind of dogs do you like, Leia?

[Leia doesn't seem to resist. She watches him for a moment when he stops on one page in particular and can't help swinging around to see what's caught his attention.

A big white dog . . .

She'll answer the latter question at least, taking note of the nostalgic expression on his face.]

They're just so cute. Really, I like all of them. The little ones are so fast and loud and full of energy, and you can pick them up and hold them . . . and the big ones are cuddly and soft and you can use them like pillows!

[The most decisive answer.]

[The pillow analogy is actually very good, so much so that IV's smirk widens to a more confident expression.]

Good answer. You're right; they all have something to offer. But the big ones [and here he snaps the book shut to wave it for emphasis] are the best.

[He likes the little ones well enough, but the bias is strong in his decision for several reasons. Pillows are always better.]

[She jumps a bit when the book slams shut with a thud; yet he's always had a flair for the dramatic, so she thinks it suits him.

In the end, she snorts.]

We'll use that as our argument for why our new Game Center mascot should be a dog. It's the perfect plan.

[Okay, she's only joking... she thinks.]

. . . Anyway, let's see what else catches our eye.

[To be fair, he's gotten used to Leia being a black cat whenever he drops by while she's on shift. But nodding in agreement, he returns the book to its shelf and backtracks to skip over to the next aisle.]

I think we're done here. None of the book stands out.

[The next aisle is less a traditional passage between shelves and more an open space with cases containing various jewelry. Toward the center, more homey styles of accessory have been laid out on a large table for open display.]

[Leia seems content with that. None of the titles jump out at her either, though her eyes do linger on the book spines before she breaks away to follow him. The jewelry is much more enticing to look at.

They even have dog collar chokers . . . for whatever reason.]

Ooh.

[Running her hands along the glass, she spots necklaces and charms of all kinds, as well as bracelets and rings.]

You think they'd go for jewelry?

[Time to buy the dog collar choker.

For the sake of simplicity, IV joins Leia's side to examine the necklaces together. So far, nothing in particular catches his eye, though he starts to seriously consider this type of gift.]

Have you seen Ryouga? He likes to accessorize. He and Rio wear matching rings, too.

Do you see anything interesting?

[Look, she only saw him once and it was in ViViD. You can't expect her to notice everything about your boyfriend, okay.

...But she got the answer she needed, so at the question, she'll be focusing on the necklaces. Obviously neither of them need rings, right?]

They have sharks. They look well-made, but a little flashy . . . [Her eyes flicker.] What are those next to it? Teeth?

[IV scans the row of necklaces whose strings are looped through what look like, as Leia assumes, teeth.]

They must be. What else can they be?

This store seems to have a fondness for sharks.

Or maybe it's just because that's what we're looking for.

[She looks amused. There are plenty of other animals showcased, after all: dolphins, turtles, more dogs, cats. She browses for a while longer before finally asking to see one shark's tooth necklace in particular, made of silver.

She examines it for a while before it pops open.]

Oh! It's a locket!

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