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Who:

lethechained and OPEN to passersby/latte lovers/coffee buffs/just about anyone, really
When: Any day (or multiple days!) between or including IC date 6/11 to 6/16
Where: A coffee shop in the Shopping District
What: Latte foam art and coffee shop AU shenanigans, mostly. Someone’s gotta keep Naminé busy at her new job, right? Feel free to request specific subjects for said art or let her think of something on her own.
Rating/Warning: None!

[ A. ]

[The shop is cute, cozy and pleasant with the smell of coffee so thick in the air that it’s nearly enough to give one a caffeine high all on its own. The sign says there's a special on lattes with a little side note about them including custom art, whatever that means, and plenty of space to sit and wait should one decide to order said beverages – or any other, for that matter. There’s a young blonde girl who can’t be much more than five feet tall bustling around behind the counter, so surely it won’t be long before--]

[Ah, there we go, she’s turned to read off the name of the owner of the most recently made drink. Her voice might be a little quiet for it, but surely one would recognize their own name, right? (Or whichever one they happened to give.)]

[ B. ]

[It’s gotten a bit slow lately, so instead of wandering around in the other part of the work area, that same blonde girl is at the register, regarding anyone who looks even remotely likely to come and order something with a passive sort of interest, whether they’re inside the shop or outside of it.]

[At least she’s attentive? Even if she might be staring a little. (A lot.)]

[ C. ]

[Everyone’s gotta take a break, right? That’s what this young lady seems to be doing – she’s still dressed for work – while sitting at one of the tables, sketchbook laid out in front of her as she draws away with a set of colored pencils. She might, in fact, happen to be sketching several of the customers. She also appears to have an only lightly sipped at drink in front of her, and it’s… actually water, ironically enough.]

[ D. WILDCARD ]
[Choose your own (coffee-related) adventure?]

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Naminé... [he repeats it, savoring it] It's lovely.

[before he answers, though, Cao Pi finally picks up his cup and gives the lovely foam art one more last look before sipping at his tea. He doesn't usually go for milk in tea because, well, no one in the third century ever put anything in tea, but there is something about the flavor he can appreciate. At least only a few petals of the lotus start to dissolve from the motion.]

There's no need for apologies, I chose my own path at will. But yes, in the end. When things were made clear, everything worked itself out. My father's cousins went back to tolerating me rather than openly hating me. [his icy blue eyes flick up toward her, knowingly] Whatever it is that causes you doubt, I'm sure I wouldn't begin to understand. But if my tale gives you any comfort, then it is worth the telling.

[It's a flattering way to have one's name said and a flattering compliment to receive thereafter, and she looks suitably pleased with her subtly bashful,]

Thank you.

[It would be impolite, wouldn't it, not to say that? As strange as it feels for anything of hers to be referred to as lovely. Though not as much so as being praised for one of her creations, maybe, for a name is not something one usually chooses for themselves. Speaking of which, there's something less sad about watching this creation meet its fate - even if only in part - than there might otherwise have been. It's accomplished its purpose, hasn't it? And that's more than some far longer lives can claim.]

That doesn't make it easy to walk. [Is her only comment upon the subject, but she seems to accept his explanation with a quiet sort of relief on his behalf, necessitated or not. Such a compassionate girl she is, that the words should seem to gladden her so and then to mar that with concern at the mention of tolerance in lieu of open hate.]

[But she's left with no opportunity to inquire further, because she can see enough in that look he fixes her with that she is aware, even before he speaks, that she has been caught. Her own eyes flicker slightly wider; they're blue, themselves, and would almost be the color of forget-me-nots if they weren't just a little bit too true.]

[It's disconcerting, being on the receiving end of such a look. He's... more perceptive than she anticipated, but maybe she can be forgiven her folly; she is so very used to being around people who don't know how to hear what isn't said, or else don't care to listen unless it benefits them, or play deaf for some other reason. She'll have to remember not to underestimate him again, she thinks.]

[Maybe she should be concerned by this, girl of so many secrets as she is - but she finds herself breathing out the barest hint of a laugh instead, shoulders lowering with it as though it were much larger. Her hands separate from where they were clasped together, and even though it's only by a few degrees, it's probably the broadest her body language has been the whole time as she glances down at herself between them, eyes lingering briefly on each of her palms before lifting back to him.] Am I really that transparent?

[An admission of her guilt, as reward for his accurate assessment. For his kindness:] ... It does. I'm not sure yet whether I'll need it, but I... I'm grateful. Sometimes I forget how much people can have in common, even when they come from very different worlds and lead very different lives.

[Or rather, she has begun to realize how much she's overlooked the possibility of there being others out there who are like her. Not the way Roxas is, exactly, but in-- other ways, broader ways, ways she has yet to grow into anticipating. Intellectually, she knows that she is not so unique as to share nothing with anyone, but there's a difference between knowing that and actually integrating it into the basis of her logic. It's nice - has been nice, in this city - to not be alone... but it's taking some getting used to.]

[Cao Pi sits back with his cup held in both hands, his usual self-assured, in-control demeanor taking over completely and a superior sort of smirk playing about his lips.]

I wouldn't say transparent, I don't know that there are many who would observe and draw such conclusions. I make it a habit to pay close attention to people. You ask certain questions, seeking certain answers. I made an educated guess based on that.

[if not for her interested queries, he might have simply thought her as shy as certain nobles' wives, but no, there's more beneath the surface here. It makes him wonder just how much they would have in common...]

I have learned that people are people, no matter which century or country they come from. Beneath the striking differences of custom and appearance, we are all more or less the same.

[...more or less, indeed.]

[Her demeanor doesn't change by much, although it's very clear that she's studying him. Perhaps she always was, but it's more noticeable, now, in her thoughtful look, eyes switching between sides of his face. 'They usually don't,' she is tempted to say, but doesn't.]

It was a very good guess. [Or more than, if accuracy counts for anything. There's something only half-humorous in her,] I'll have to be more careful, next time.

[And she might, actually, because for all that he's been able to ingratiate himself well so far, she is not so foolish as to be taken in by a few charming words. He's every bit as subject to her long-term evaluation as anyone she meets in this place or any other. Such an enormous percentage of the people she's met in her life - prior to Cerealia, that is - have been possessed of inclinations that were to her detriment and the detriment of those around her, and surely she can't be blamed for her wariness. The back of her mind is always hard at work neatly cataloguing every word and action of any person she comes across for later use and the formation of a subconscious evaluation of their level of - or potential for, rather - threat, and that includes his. Perceptiveness is acceptable (pleasant, even) as long as it's used without malicious intent.]

That's true. [She says, having seen far enough into a great enough number of hearts and minds to feel comfortable with the principle, herself, but when she adds a quiet,] More or less. [of her own, it's from a different kind of experience. After all, a Nobody is not quite like anything - anyone - else.] But it's funny, how easy that can be to overlook. People still seem to find so many things to fight about, even when they'd be better off helping each other.

[That's something that's been on her mind lately, after what she came into for her first proper ViViD level.]

[How much they have in common, indeed. Cao Pi has made his way through the obstacles of the imperial court as well as a demon realm through the same tactic, evaluating everyone who crossed his path for their worth to him, their ability to be used in his plans, and their value as ally or even friend, if it could be said that he had any friends. It's a habit impossible to break, and even necessary in a place like this where information keeps spilling out to indicate that their saviors are actually their enemies and if they want to return safely to their worlds, they need to stay on their guard. At least, if he is harboring secret intentions to build a rebellion - and he is - the only malice intended is toward CERES.

But that's later. Right now he's wholly intrigued by Namine, particularly as she admits to needing to take care with her own perceptions. What could such a young lady need to be careful about? Cao Pi is fascinated enough that he won't forget her. This is a puzzle that needs time to unravel.

What she says raises his eyebrow - it hits rather close to his own experiences.]

That much is true. Clearly, it has not changed in however many centuries lay between my own time and this one. At least, here in this colony there doesn't appear to be any territorial tensions, no one attempting to annex his neighbor's apartments. [dryly; that was definitely a joke]

[For Naminé, too, it has been a way of life. To use is not her goal, but she has always needed to know which strings to pull, no matter her distaste for it, in case of emergency, in case of necessity - not only for her own sake, but the sake of countless others. She has always needed to know when there might be a dagger aimed at her back, needed to listen for lies and keep an eye out for false smiles. It's no good sort of existence for someone so young, but it is the one she's had, and she has already learned many a thing the hard way.]

[His joke is received with a brief upturn at the corners of her mouth, as she clearly recognizes it for what it is, but it's a wry sort of thing.] It might be hard to get away with in a place like this.

[Because already she's met quite a few of the heroic types, the sort who wouldn't take kindly to bloody territorial feuds or anything of the like. There have been several claims made to her that the people here are of a mind to look out for each other, and she has yet to see anything to the contrary. That doesn't mean, however, that she doesn't expect a snake or two among the grass.]

[Her own interest has been piqued by something else in those words, though, and she comes back to it without hesitation. She does, however, put it with a certain gentleness; her,] Did you say 'centuries'? [is both a question and an out, a request for clarification but not a demand.]

Edited 2016-04-06 08:00 (UTC)

[Someday he'll work out this puzzle and know just how much she has in common with his own strategists. Not today, though. Today is good for much less painful conversation.]

I did. [casually; he doesn't mind speaking of this] I am already aware that I come from a time easily a thousand years in the past compared to some here. Possibly more, given what some have said. Regardless of when we are, in this colony, it is a given fact that I have met people who are from my world's future.

[at least, those are his assumptions - the nuance of how many different Earths are represented is something he's still working on. But he knew, from Ishida, how ancient he really was, and he's already met one Nobunaga here to prove it.]

[That's a puzzle that's likely to take a while to solve. She's far more inclined to keep things close to the vest than most people, for reasons that would be obvious if she were ever to actually talk about any of the things that lead to that tendency. But with persistence -- well, maybe some other day, indeed.]

[It's all she can do not to breathe out, 'A thousand years?' because to someone who has only technically lived for a single one, that's even closer to forever than it is for most people. It's not hard to tell that she doesn't know quite how to feel about it as she processes this information, but,] That must be so strange...! [is an obvious enough step in the process, as is the logical, contemplative,] So that's what you meant earlier.

[When he mentioned history in relation to himself, that is - but she doesn't clarify. She's too busy coming to a quiet sort of realization; that she doesn't even know for certain that she isn't from a thousand years ago, too, and the thought is an unnerving one.]

[Then the really troubling thoughts set in.]

[Because, she recognizes suddenly, that means that he's technically (almost certainly) dead. Now, this part isn't as much of a shock - though it is saddening - because she's not so different, in that respect, given how near at hand her own cessation was in her last memory of her own worlds. No, the part that really gets to her is this: if someone who's been gone for a thousand years can be here, then... so can someone who's been gone a day, or a year, or ten years.]

[Which includes the entirety of the Organization.]

[The color drains out of her face suddenly as this dawns upon her, a hand coming up to curl her fingers over her mouth. She's quick to turn her head, wide eyes averting, but her reaction was unmistakable all the same. No matter how quickly she gathers herself - and she does so with admirable efficiency - it's painfully obvious that she's thought of something that caused her great concern, and her brows stay drawn together.]

I thought-- [Fingers tightening closed, she forces her hand to lower.] I assumed they were taking us from the present. I didn't think--.... [Ah, but that makes sense, doesn't it? Perhaps that's what happened to Roxas' memory, and why she's still here, even though by rights she should be a part of Kairi again, if she were anything at all.] ... I should have realized it sooner.

[Her reaction is unmistakable, but Cao Pi merely observes without remarking at first, wondering what could frighten her so. About him, being from a couple thousand years in the past? Hmm.]

In a sense, they are. What is the present for me is the past for others. For still others yet, there is no relationship between their world, this one, or my own.

[He beckons her slightly closer with a curl of his fingers, to keep any open talk of CERES between them alone. It's telling that he's willing to speak of it despite any implants in their own bodies which can pick up everything he does, but not letting the average, everyday patrons of the coffee shop hear him is for their own good.]

I have no trouble admitting that they did not even take my from my own world, I had been spirited away to a demon realm first and they took me from there. Do not think, my lady, that what they've done to us is benevolent in any sense, even if they did take you or I or anyone from an unpleasant time in our lives as if to rescue us. This is no rescue.

[He isn't the problem, that much is clear, because she does not shift away from him, and she doesn't act particularly troubled by his presence; if anything, she seems momentarily distracted, though the second he speaks her attention is on him again as though it had never wavered.]

Of course. [Yet she'd assumed hers to be the one they all shared - she fears that perhaps it was short-sighted of her, but then again, she'd had so little evidence to the contrary before that it only would make sense now, when the answer has already been laid before her.] I knew there were many other worlds, but... I didn't anticipate that.

[And if there were any further proof needed that she doesn't consider him an immediate threat, it would be in how, at his beckoning, she pauses only briefly before taking a delicate half-step closer, bowing a little nearer. The set of her expression is still troubled, but curiosity lingers under it until she discovers what it is he means to tell her. The first part is of interest to her, truthfully, because she can't say her own situation was entirely different, but it's the last portion that most demands her attention. Frowning, she casts a brief, sidelong glance at the rest of the room, then moves her eyes back to him. There's something almost tired about them, then, something far too old for her face, and perhaps the lack of any great amount of surprise says something about why.]

I didn't believe that it was. [She confesses it in a quiet voice. No, she'd considered that claim - hadn't been at all willing to put faith in it. It hasn't been an unpleasant experience on the whole, being in this place, but she's spent the whole time waiting for the other shoe to drop.] None of it adds up. Where I come from, there have been all sorts of terrible threats to the worlds, but-- nothing ever managed to destroy them before. [So it seemed kind of fishy to her right off the bat that some group she'd never even heard of supposedly managed to do what the Heartless could not, and even more unsettling that some benevolent other party decided to rescue them from it. There had to be a catch, one way or another.]

Edited 2016-04-08 07:53 (UTC)

[He doesn't want to get too deep into it at the moment, but her response is enough for a slow nod from him.]

Remember that. Hold it close. Your doubt may be just what you need to stay sharp and learn the truth. [the faintest hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth returns] Though, I expect that won't be a problem for you. Somehow, I feel as though you understand better than most.

[He sits back again with his tea, drinking in earnest. The foam is disappearing fast, but it's time for it to do so, to melt away and take the darker thoughts with it. It's then that Cao Pi considers who she reminds him of, with that expression older than her age - the Lady Kaguya, the powerful princess of the moon whom he and his people knew as Chang'e, graceful and pure yet with the weight of heaven and earth on her slender shoulders. He only met her once before being stolen to this world, but the comparison is apt enough.]

I don't wish to sour your mood, surely you must keep up a smile while you work. But I should like to speak with you again, my lady. Perhaps I will have to make these...lattes, my drink of choice over plain tea. [in other words, make this his quiet shop of choice for writing over a cup or three, as he does nearly every day.]

[There's something lingering in the corners of the equally small smile she gives in return. It looks an awful lot like a secret, invisible but felt all the same.]

I won't forget. [The words are placid, unwavering. It's not confidence in them, exactly, just a firmness, an unquestionability, as though they are said entirely for his benefit and she has no need to reassure herself. It's only after that, as her mind lingers on his vote of confidence, that she hesitates; not in her certainty, but upon her choice of words - or rather whether to express them at all. What he's said ultimately prompts her to add, in roundabout response to his expectations, her voice delicately verging on wry,] It isn't the first time I've met people who said they wanted to help.

[The implication here, given the topic of conversation, is that they were in actuality far more interested in helping themselves.]

[Straightening as he sits back, she appears thoughtful, eyes lingering on the table. Though her considerations range from what she's learned from him to what she's learned of him, this peculiar new acquaintance of hers, she does not actively attempt to compare him to anyone she knows. Funny, that, because under most circumstances it would be natural, subconscious. Maybe it's because she is not yet certain what to think of him, or because he is so different from most people she's met... or maybe it's because if she were to think of someone, it might almost be Zexion. Not the least favorable comparison on the small list of people she has known, but not one that she wants to be quick to jump to, either, and she bears him no ill will. Quite the contrary; he has proven agreeable company, so far.]

[Better to wait and see.]

[And it appears he hasn't managed to sour her mood overmuch. There's still a pensiveness lurking behind her eyes, but it dips further below the surface as a pleasantly surprised smile rises unbidden to her lips. To look at her, one might think no one had ever expressed a desire to speak to her more than once.] I would like that, too...! Very much. [It's obvious enough that she means it, reserved though she might be.] And I'm sure you'll be welcome back any time you'd like another. [Both on her part and her employer's.] I'd be happy to make the design anything you want, next time.

[Help? Help is relative. Cao Pi is under no delusions that he may have to do unkind things in order to battle their captors. He's not here to help with nice words and gentle pats, here's here to succeed through any means necessary. It might be closer to Zexion than it at first appears. He concedes her caution with a slight incline of his head, and focuses more on keeping that lovely smile on her face.]

I should like to see what other art you can create with such unique tools. Anything at all would be lovely to see.

[he sets his cup down, revealing that the foam is all gone by now, a simple musky tea-and-milk drink is all that remains. Cao Pi pulls his half-written poem and brush back to him, feeling rather inspired to keep composing.]

I shall remember to come by and let you draw for me. Who knows what else might be inspired.

[There's a place where Naminé draws the line when it comes to ruthlessness. What point that happens to be, however, even she isn't quite sure yet. It isn't as though she hasn't done things she found unsavory in favor of the greater good, albeit always with the most gentleness and transparency she could manage at the time. It's not a way in which she wishes to be tested, because no matter how positive her intentions might be, there is a part of her - and it is a large part - that is afraid of what she might do.]

[But that's as far from her mind as can be, if the way that upturned curve to her mouth sticks around is any indication. It doesn't waver, not even when a natural glance at the tea proves that her design is now well and truly gone.]

In that case, I'll have to think of something especially nice.

[To add to the loveliness. Ah, but it's time to let him get back to his work, she thinks, and she to her own - a quick glance over her shoulder tells her that another order is being placed as they speak - and she nods, reaching to take delicate hold of the paper upon which he wrote for her earlier. Her touch is a careful one, so that it won't crumple even slightly.]

Until next time, then. I'll be looking forward to it.

[With that - and a warm smile - she turns to go.]

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