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| No title. |
| (2013-11-18 - Now) |
| No description. |
| Chita | It had been a couple of days since Chita and Rhiannon had their rather fateful and violent, as it were, encounter in Goug. A couple of days since Aerith had been snooping and, likely, heard the Viera mumbling in a depressed tone towards his Chocobo something about Serendipity. She could have secretly followed him to Lindblum, then to Eden and Serendipity by and thus. When he'd gotten to Serendipity, the Viera had simply enough signed his Chocobo up for races, for the Chocobos enjoyment, then went to the bar to get a bit drunk. Too many things have happened recently for Chita not to just get toasted. Likely by the time anyone who knew him got there, he'd already had four or five strong, fruity drinks. 'Blue Lagunas', however that name was derived. |
| Aerith | It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, though! After all, she would more than likely have done the same. Or would she? Who knows. Either way, she showed up at the bar, in clothing much different than he would have guessed. It is said that the trick to hiding in plain sight is to not look like yourself, to change something about you that is so iconic, so recognizable, that no one would recognize you without it. Aerith had indeed done just that. She'd not only changed her wardrobe from the usual denim and cotton ensemble she wore, but she'd also unbraided her hair, leaving it free to cascade down to the middle of her back. The mirror-coated glassed helped too. She sat next to him, silent for a few moments, before she placed a hand on his right shoulder after watching him finish his drink. "Next one's on me." |
| Chita | It would totally help... If Chita wasn't already blind and all of her effort went right past him. What didn't go past him, though, was the voice. She was trying to sound different and given he only had his ears to identify things, that he wasn't touching, when he heard someone approach, felt them touch his shoulder and spoke, the blindfolded Viera turned towards them a little with his head. Sure, he couldn't see, but it was still polite enough. "Thank you, but I have enough to pay for myself. Do I... know you?" He seemed a little confused. Was it one of the Waitresses who had hit on him in the past and been turned down? Someone he didn't even know at all? Someone he did know? Somehow the voice seemed a little familiar, but he couldn't put a finger on it. His attire today consisted of that fancy outfit of his, the tailored suit, bunny tail sticking comfortably out of the back courtesy of a little hole designed for such. His undershirt today was a light pink, tie black. |
| Aerith | It wasn't that hard to drop her voice an octave. All she had to do was relax, and right now she wasn't under any undue tension. Unlike the last time they were in the same place, of course. She glanced at his clothing, having seen it before... but not saying anything about it. "You're awful dolled up for a place like this. I've seen people come in with jeans and jackets and still be fine." She chuckled. "Of course, they all leave the same way... with less than they came in with." |
| Chita | Oh well, no point in trying to question things too much. Being alone was never fun for him anyways and this lady, for whatever reason, seemed to want his company. "Might as well look nice if you feel bad, right? Good close, getting drunk and... what I assume is a pretty lady seemingly wishing for my company does indeed make things better." It wasn't that hard to see he was trying to feel better than he actually was, the smile not quite fake so much as forced. He couldn't actually /be/ deceptive after all. "And I tend to come out ahead by a bit when I come here. My Chocobo tends to win most races he enters. And... he should just about be starting." Chita nodded towards a nearby monitor that was showing the races and had sound, which he was listening to. |
| Aerith | Aerith chuckled. "Indeed, you certainly have confidence in your friend." She glanced over at him. "Not much in yourself, though. I've seen real smiles, and that's not one. So what's the trouble that's big enough to get sloshed?" |
| Chita | Chitas Chocobo, Senra, darted out ahead of the pack immediately and stayed ahead, eventually just slowing down and trotting to a finish way ahead of the rest. When Chita heard he had won the Viera chuckled a bit and said, "Well... in that case..." he listened for the Bartender and said, "Would you use the winnings from that race, part of them, to buy this lady something? And myself another." To her question, though, he thought about how to answer before saying, "I would rather not discuss such. I have an... unfortunate compulsion to be honest when I get around to discussing things." |
| Aerith | Aerith shrugged. "Drinking tends to bring that out as well. But I have a feeling this's different. But if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I'm not one to begrudge a man his escapes." She gave a nod to the bar tender as he brought her the ordered drink. "My bird isn't nearly enough to compete here, but someday I hope to be rather good at this." |
| Chita | A wane smile stays on Chita's face as he hears that before leaning against the counter and saying, "Someone I had hoped would turn out to be worthwhile in becoming close to turned out to be a bit... crazier than I thought. I had to hurt them to try and keep others safe and in the end it still mattered little. I am not a violent being. Such things bother me." When his drink comes, he carefully runs the straw around it before taking a long drink from it. Honestly, it was the sound of Rhiannon's arm breaking, and her not seeming phazed, that bothered him the most. |
| Aerith | Aerith gave a nod. "If you want me to be honest, that's how most people are." She shrugged. "You think they act one way, and they tend to contradict themselves. The few that are really concerned about their integrity are worth holding onto, but picking them out is the challenge." She took a sip from her own drink. Oh, she'd heard the snap of her arm as well, even from her room. But no scream, not even the sound of a choked sob... No, never mind. Deal with it when it comes. "Sometimes the only way to do something about a harmful person is to take them out of the game permanently. Don't be ashamed about having to hurt someone for the greater good." |
| Chita | "I will always be ashamed of everyone I have to hurt, be they evil or misguided, because that means I was too weak to stop them somehow else." Something about her comment seemed to have actually made him quite annoyed, the tone of his voice going from calm and sad to a bit grumpy. The anger rising in him, though, surprised him enough that he actually felt rather guilty about that and turned his face away from the woman who had chosen to speak with him of her own volition. "I apologize for my tone, you did not deserve such. I know you are just trying to be friendly or helpful." |
| Aerith | Aerith nodded. "I get it, I really do." She looked at him, even though he couldn't see her. "But you can't redeem or save everyone. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to see the good in someone, see the light... they're too far gone. No amount of negotiation will get them to see things your way." Her features hardened. "Sometimes the only way is to make them see their errors." |
| Chita | Chita was silent for a few moments before he turned towards Aerith properly. "I hurt someone I know and have spent a fair amount of time enjoying the company of, despite their... shortcomings. I appreciate others for their qualities... not damn them for their failings. Only those whom I can find nothing enjoyable about can I stomach believing they are unredeemable and..." Again he went silent for a moment as if thinking before saying, "Enough of this talking, I have been drinking to take my mind off such, not get it back on it. Any thoughts on how I can go about forgetting everything else for a night?" Despite the honesty of the question, with him not realizing who it was, being drunk and feeling a bit lonely, it may be obvious he just tried to make a pass at her. |
| Aerith | Aerith smiled. "I wouldn't know, really. I like more games of wit and focus than luck. Reading people and their reactions." She faced forward again. "Poker tables, for example. You'll find no greater place to learn how to read people than a game of five-card stud." |
| Chita | "Yes, well..." his response to the suggestion is quite simply to say, "That is a rather hard thing for me to do while blind. I cannot even see my cards were that the situation. I could... play with the slots, though the noise that close does hurt my ears. That is why I simply enjoying letting my Chocobo have fun racing." Pushing himself upright and taking another half-drink from his beverage, Chita dries his hand off on the inside of his coat before offering the hand towards his still un-named and unknown companion. "Care to come along? I am unsure what encouraged you to come associate with me, but you must have /some/ reason. I do not recognize your voice either... so I am pretty certain I do not know you. So either you have a thing for sad, good-looking men, or... actually I am unsure of any other reason you have to come chat with me." |
| Aerith | Aerith chuckled. It appeared she'd successfully duped him, for now. No need for him to know it was her, not yet. "Very well then, off to the races. I would rather watch that than sit here trying to forget everything anyway." She took one last sip from her martini. "I still have a lot to remember." |
| Chita | Chita was silent for a few moments before he reached out and placed a hand about where he thought her shoulder was. Her voice was at one area, so just to the side. "Actually, no. You will have to accept my suspicion, or not, but... you have yet to answer any question I have asked you since we started speaking. Who you are, your intentions... I have just been hurt by someone I wished to be close to and for all I know, you are a pickpocket waiting to slip your hand around my form to figure out where my munny is." Even though his hand was on her shoulder, which may have seemed a bit threatening... she probably knew he didn't have it in him to hurt her, and would probably just back off his forwardness if she still refused to answer. Maybe. Then again, Rhiannon had really pissed him off the other day by doing the same thing, refusing to answer his questions, and they both knew how that went. |
| Aerith | She'd heard first hand how that went. "My name doesn't matter. I'm no one, really. Just someone here to have a good time. But I assure you, I'm not here to swindle you. Just saw someone lonely and in need of some solace, and tried to figure out how to help." She let his hand stay for a bit. "You're all about the truth, and that's it." |
| Chita | Her response was not only less than satisfactory, but rather frustrating. Not only did she not answer, she was refusing to answer at this point. He started to say something else, but stopped short of it and said, "If you will not even tell me your name, then I wish nothing to do with you. I am in no mood for these evasive games from anyone, especially someone I do not know." And with that he pulled his hand away, turning around and pulling the walking stave up from where it was leaning next to him, fully intending to leave unless she suddenly proffered up her name. |
| Aerith | Well, might as well get it over with. "It's Janice," she called out. Not like that was a name worth saying, but she'd come up with it on the fly. "I suppose it's your turn now, hmm? Not to seem rude, but one usually gives their own name back, right?" She managed to keep her voice at the proper register, too. |
| Chita | Chances were, if Chita ever found out Aerith had been lying to him just now, with how upset he was - he probably wouldn't take it very well. Especially considering who she was. "Janice..." A part of him doesn't wish to believe it, which makes him all the wearier of it. Why would she just out and offer her name? If she's just trying to be nice and offer company and peace, what possible reason would she possibly have to not just let him go on his way? After about ten seconds of being still and silent, Chita turns and 'looks' towards 'Janice' before saying, softly, "I do not believe you. If you are speaking the truth, I apologize, but if you are indeed lying like a part of me thinks you are... then that would mean you know full well who I am, and you insist on keeping me company for your own reasons. I am not in the mood to be toyed with. Begone." And with that he turns and moves to walk away. Noticing he was a little upset, one of the employees, a waitress that actually had a thing for him a while back before he turned her down, approached to quietly ask if something was wrong. Chita smiled a little and reached his arm out to gently hug around her waist as he leaned down to whisper something, amounting to 'Simply someone who wishes to keep me company, yet I am quite certain is lying to me. If... the lady I was just speaking to follows me, please have someone come tell me. Also please do not make it obvious I asked you this.' And with that he steps away to leave the bar, carefully making his way out. He trusted the staff here enough, given how often he came, to actually let him know something so simple. |
| Chita | Having been rather pissed off at the presence of a woman who had showed little interest in giving her name, and even then gave a false one, Chita was walking across the Serendipity courtyard towards the large roulette-like wheel in the middle of the place. Slowly, of course, as he was still quite blind and was being careful despite that. Having had a few drinks, he was also faintly inebriated due to having been in a bad mood before coming here and was trying to drink it away. Didn't quite work. Thus, he just kind of stood there in the night air, eternal night air, and enjoyed soaking in the more quiet area than the loudness inside. He was wearing a rather fancy-looking custom tailored dress suit, with a light pink undershirt and a black tie. He was holding onto a shoulder-height stave which he was likely using as a 'Move out of my way I'm blind' stick. |
| Echo | Flapping down to a nearby rooftop, Echo peered down at what the plaza had in store, her head tilting about animatedly and seeming to be catching onto what was going on down there by sound as well as sight. Spotting Mr. Tall Dark and Bunny Ears she pushed herself off the ledge and zoomed down behind him, sandals slapping against the pavement harshly, though alighting on the ground using her wings to break her fall a good bit. "Why hello there, cottontail," she said from behind the viera, trying to clasp both palms of hers onto his shoulders from behind. |
| Chita | A little out of it as he was, what with being buzzed, he didn't quite respond in a fast enough time when he heard something land behind him. Instead, as he felt the hands on his shoulders and the voice, slightly familiar, he 'looked' over his shoulder towards the source of the voice. More turned his head than LOOKED given his lack of vision. "Hello yourself." His voice was soft, faint trace of a very fruity alcohol on his breath, probably some mix. "Your voice sounds familiar... I know you, yes?" He could not quite put a name to the voice, though, only having really spoken to her the one time at the beach. |
| Echo | "Haahahaaha," there is a feminine cackling as Echo stepped back from the viera, sandals clicking against the ground. "I should sure hope so, your eyes not working?" she peered, leaning closer. "Whew! you smell like a malboro drowning in wine! prepped for a night with the ladies, are we?" she giggled and grinned toothily, one of her wings waving the fumes of alcohol back away from her to Chita's directions, the wind buffeting his brow, likely. |
| Chita | In response to that, Chita's nose crinkled a bit as he thought of how to respond. "You overreact. I have only been drinking a sweet beverage, I do not enjoy the taste of those malboro piss overly-strong alcohols. Still..." he couldn't help but laugh a little at the joke at his expense. It probably did seem rather incriminating. "So... wings, female, cute voice... forward. I am beginning to think you are the lady I met on Bodhum Beach a while back. Ec... Ek... Ech Ko?" The name was slightly mispronounced, much to his own consternation. "I had come here to..." he said with a bit of a smile as he fully turned towards her, "...to take my mind off things. Too much happening too fast too often, I suppose. Though an, as you called it, night with the ladies was not my intention. Even if a few of the employees here would like nothing more than to sneak me off somewhere quiet." |
| Echo | "Me? Overreact? Never," Echo said with a bit of mock contemptuousness, stepping back just a little to give them more personal space. One of her ears twitching, she canted it ot the side. "Oh, sweet beverage hmm? is that what they call wine now?" she teased just a little more, nodding a bit nevertheless. "What's the story with your eyes, you could see last time I saw you," she raised a white furred finger to point up to his face a little hesitantly, perhaps finding this serious or a bit of an anxious topic. "Really now? would they? There a small market for guys like you?" she asked, seeming to be curious here, brow raised. |
| Chita | "I could?" That confused him, especially since last they met, he was sitting on the beach and they met because he had attempted to redo the blindfold and it fell and she had picked it up for him. Was he missing something? "Did we not meet because I accidentally dropped my blindfold? I... attempted to protect someone from a very powerful magic user. She... specifically hurt me to upset the one I was trying to protect and as a result, I lost my sight. And no... a couple of the ladies here simply think I am cute. I have always turned them down, mostly out of embarrassment because I have always been rather... uneasy with relations with non-Viera. Only recently have I ... widened my options, so to speak." The finger pointing at his face did not get a reaction from him in the least, fully blind at the moment. "And it was mixed drinks, fruity things, overly sweet." |
| Echo | "Were they? I thought you hadn't broken them yet," Echo raised a furred brow just a bit more as she peered at the viera. She blinked a little bit at the vieran male then, listening to him. "What, you don't like non-Viera girls? hmm..." she shrugged a little, walking around him. "I see, fruity huh?" she giggled a little bit at that, nodding. She didn't go poking at him for long, that would be rude, not that she'd care exactly. "Maybe you should get something to cure that affliction of yours, you don't want to need a cane forever, do you?" |
| Chita | The conversation made him smile a bit as he responded to it rather simply, "Fruity, yes. And I did truly only find myself attracted to female Viera. Chance and loneliness has taken toll on me, though, and I have since come to realize companionship is nice regardless." Offering a hand out towards her, Chita also added, "And could I find a way to let me see again, I happily would. Healing does little. Have you any ideas? Last I mentioned you said something about seeing without them." |
| Echo | "I see, well that's your decision, and all, thought you were trying to spy on me that day at the beach," Echo snickered a little, nodding. "Aww, you poor thing, male Viera and all, you must be deprived eh?" she took his hand and shook it gently within her warm fuzzy grasp. "Well, you can find your way around with your ears if you know how to do it, my kind does that, not sure if yours can--but with your ears it should perhaps be easy," she explained. "I could perhaps show you sometime, if you'd like," she smiled a little, reaching up to give a little nudge to his ear with a finger tip. |
| Chita | "Not really." he responded rather casually. "With your ears? Do you have eyes in there?" His tone was more joking than anything, though he did seem a little curious. When she reached up to poke an ear with a finger, he allowed it, ear twitching a little before he reached up to take the hand between both of his and give it a gentle, friendly pat. "You are sweet. I appreciate that. What brings you here though?" |
| Echo | "Actually yes, in a manner of speaking," Echo smirked just a little, taking his joking in stride. "Careful there," she mentioned when he took her hand, pausing for a little bit as he patted it. "You're a very affectionate fellow, aren't you? But yes, it's similar to what beast bats use in the wild, if you can study it, it might prove useful enough so you don't need to feel your way around like a snake... or a spider," Echo licked her lips a little and nodded. "Fell beasts those, really," she snickered. "As I was saying, perhaps we can teach you to make little clicks to hear so you can see without using your eyes, yes? you'll be just like a bat," grinning now, she was. |
| Chita | The remark on him being affectionate caused him to laugh softly. "I suppose I am. Is that a bad thing?" He asked such while he listened and when the eventual supposition is given, he shakes his head, "No, I doubt I can do /that/. I can hear well, but not... like that." If left alone, he did keep hold of the hand, in a rather innocent way. Simply being friendly. |
| Echo | "You're such a cutie, you almost make me wanna hurt you," Echo giggled a little, patting the Viera's cheek. "Oh, I think you can do a good plenty things you don't /think/ you can do, you'll require a bit of training, course, we all do," she smiled, stepping back a little. She let him keep her hand, though. "Just give it time, I'm sure we can do something about that, if your sight does not return..." |
| Chita | So cute she wants to hurt him? Was that like the hume expression of wanting to pinch someones cheeks? "Well, you are welcome to hurt me..." he said softly, before leaning close and whispering playfully, "But you have to tie me up first." He was naturally joking, as that wasn't his cup of tea, but still he thought it was funny enough. "Though I am curious, what do you think I can do that I think I cannot?" Feeling around with his foot and finding the nearby Ledge around the outter wall of the giant roulette wheel, Chita takes a seat and offers a hand towards Echo to help her down to sit as well unless she was fine sitting on her own. |
| Echo | "I didn't bring my rope and things, I might have to disappoint you there for now, anyway," Echo snerked a little. "I want you to teach you to use your ears better rather than your eyes, you were dependant on them before, right?" she asked, she sat down with him and didn't seem to mind being led down there, exactly. She leans back and crosses her legs a bit daintily. |
| Chita | "Well damn!" The conversation really had done a number to improve his mood and make him forget about his issues, entirely focusing on the matter at hand. The five drinks he had was probably helping a fair amount as well. Chita simply sat there rather quietly as he thought about such, smiling faintly. Mm... use his ears better? "Well, Viera do hear quite well. I have been doing that currently when I am forced to defend myself..." He started to say something else before his mind wandered back to something and the pleasant little smile faded into a more normal, if not perhaps a bit bland expression. "I should probably depart and appreciate my pillow here at the inn a bit. I..." again he starts to say something, but stops, then says with a bit of a smile, "Do you have somewhere to spend the night? Or... are you like a normal bat and enjoy the night more than the day?" A coy way of asking if she wanted to keep him company tonight, at least on his part he meant it entirely platonically, despite the joking nature of what they had been discussing a moment before. |
| Echo | "Clearly we just need to take advantage of your good hearing, and any other senses you have to make up for this loss of your sight," Echo nodded with a little smile, patting the Viera on the shoulder. "I'm not tired right now, I think I'll head off though, I am hungry," Echo rose and gave the viera a curtsy-like bow, those white ears of her twitching. Her wings fluttered a little as she sprung into the air, pushed herself off a nearby building and sprang even higher up, emitting a noise like an athletic cry of satisfaction. "See you later bunny man!" she cackled. |
| Aerith | Aerith sighed and turned toward the bar again. Seems like she wouldn't be able to convince him that way, would she? That talk would, perhaps, have to be later. Then she shook her head. No, it had to be now, while he still had his mind on it. It certainly sounded like he did. She headed back toward the bar for the moment and took another martini. It was going to be a long night, and she needed to actually finish at least one drink before it was over. She took a look at the chocobo races again, plans running through her mind about how to approach this. Catching wind of her trailing him would not be the best thing, seeing as he didn't trust her. Plus he'd had a few drinks. She wanted to make sure he wasn't hurting himself, or worse. To get to him, she had to be subtle; to move without leaving a trace. If it were up to her, she'd just take the elevator to whatever room he was in, but it would get her noticed. No telling who Chita told to look out for her. The martini came after a few moments, and Aerith nodded to the bartender. Perhaps it was time to ask a few questions. "Hey... come here for a second." |
| Chita | The bartender was an older fellow who was well-dressed, like any employee of such an establishment might be. When he brought her the drink, he had started to leave, though the question caused him to blink and turn to look towards her. "How may I help you?" |
| Chita | Chita is, incidentally, making his way towards the rooms at the moment at the Inn here at Serendipity. Every good Casino needs a place for those here to stay at/sleep at if they wish after all. The conversation with the bat lady had improved his mood quite a bit. |
| Aerith | Aerith gave her best smile. "Seems that viera and I have had a bit of a falling out. I was gonna try and make it up to him before he stormed off, but I can't quite put my finger on how to do that." She tilted her head to the right. "Maybe you could help me. Did you hear him talk about anything before I got here?" |
| Chita | "Chita?" The older fellow responded. "He has been coming here for months. Actually I have never seen him upset in the least. Serendipity is where he comes to enjoy himself and race his Chocobo. Quite the racer that one... he has been racking up quite a many wins. He... did not wish to talk about it beyond saying problems with someone he knew." And at that he paused, picking up a glass to rub at it with a rag. |
| Aerith | Aerith nodded. Someone he knew, indeed. Rhiannon... and what she'd revealed to him. It was everything and nothing, and it made him sink even more into the hole he'd dug for himself. She was sure of it. The problem was, would he do something reckless? "I see. He does have a fine bird at that." She glanced toward the screen. "I suppose I should apologize to him somehow. Didn't mean to drive him off like that." She ran a finger along the rim of her cocktail glass. "Any idea where he's holed up at in here? Which room, perhaps?" |
| Chita | The bartender nodded, "Oh, I know. But I will not be telling you, ma'am. That would lose me my job and my integrity. If he wanted you to know such, he would have told you himself. If you want to tell him something I can always let him know next I speak with him." Seems she wasn't going to quite get anything out of this fellow. Then again, what place really /would/ just up and say what room someone is in to another they are not certain they are with? |
| Aerith | Aerith nodded. "It was worth a shot, I suppose." She took another sip of her drink. "I have a feeling he won't be coming back here for a while... not with the direction he's headed." He wouldn't be headed anywhere but the lion's den, straight into the jaws of the ones he fought so hard against. But she didn't tell the man that. "Any idea how I could find out which room he's in, then?" |
| Chita | He thought about it a moment before sighing and shaking his head. "Given your little falling out, I think he quite wishes for you to leave him alone. I could call the inn and ask them to relay a message, but unless you can give him a reason not to simply ask us to have our security make you leave him be - I imagine that would be a waste of time. No one at the inn would tell you such either, before you think about such." He politely points towards her drink as if suggesting she should drink it before it warms up. |
| Aerith | Right, there went that option. Then again, he did give her some information. Could probably use it for later. Aerith looked back over to him and tossed him a few coins. "For your company, and the drink. I know he paid for it, but it's too good not to give you a bit extra." She stood and took it with her. "Pardon me." There went that route, then. What did she have left, besides just following him up? Questions would do no good, and she might be seen by just about anyone at this rate. If only there were some way to find him without having to... Her eyes widened. Oh duh. THAT way. Aerith smiled as she headed for one of the poker tables. Time to make good on saying it was one of the better games to play, no matter how good she was at it. She looked for an open seat and, once she found one, bought her way into the game. She waited for the hand to finish, closing her eyes and tuning out all but the essentials. Then, she spread her senses, her aura. She was looking for a particular signature, one that she'd been around for so long that she'd trace it from a mile away, metaphorically speaking. Once she picked up his general location, she wouldn't have to ask... or, for that matter, go the direct route at all. |
| Chita | And with that, the bartender nodded to her. Chita had just gotten to the Inn and was making his way towards the elevator, letting the attendant get him to the right floor and room before heading inside. They had a variant of poker going on that was popular at the moment and she was easily enough sat down and explained the rules as things went along, if she didn't know this variant. As far as her searching for such, it would entirely depend on if she was able to. He didn't have the Black Omen with him anymore, so any such scrying or whatnot would have to be for him himself. |
| Aerith | Oh she wasn't looking for that. In fact, she didn't want to. That thing nearly made her heart stop with sheer terror the last time she'd even come into contact with its presence! No, Chita was the object, not the weapon he held that seemed to curse his every step. Matter of fact, she already knew it wasn't with him. She'd already heard Rhiannon could take it from him at any time, and it wasn't a far-fetched assumption that she had it with her now. Even as the round of poker ended, she begged whatever spirits could hear her to tell her where Chita was, even as he searched further outward and upward for him. |
| Chita | It would seem he was at the top floor of a nearby building, on the far end of it, possibly one of the more expensive suites. Given he seemed to be standing just outside the rest of the structure, it was possible he was on a balcony. He was, enjoying the breeze that high up before he just as simply turned around and made his way back inside and towards the large shower that was in the room to wash off and clean up before trying to get some rest. A part of him was hoping he was drunk enough to not think about the issues with Rhiannon while asleep, otherwise that would be some bad nightmares for him. |
| Aerith | Aerith's eyes were half-lidded by the time she found him. It were as if she were looking over his shoulder, right where he stood. Penthouse suite of a nearby hotel, possibly next door. Getting ready for bed. Good. She had a fix on him. Aerith opened her eyes and took in a subtle, but deep, breath of fresh air. Just in time, too. A new hand had begun, and it was time to play. She'd have a bit of time to earn herself a bit of change, maybe even more, before she went to pay him a visit. It wasn't a question of how she'd do it; she would have to go as herself. The only reason she wore a disguise was because if he knew it was her, he'd know she'd followed him all the way from Goug, that very same day he'd left. That wasn't exactly good for her, not yet. Let him have a rest for a night, wear off the eventual hangover. Then she'd talk with him. "Okay," Aerith said with a happy sigh. "Let's do this." |
| Chita | And that was that. The game goes on, and with a little luck if Aerith stays she wins a little bit, loses a little bit. That's how the game goes. Chita showered and cleaned himself off only to wander towards the bed and just kind of fall asleep on it face down once he laid down. The covers and sheets and such were comfortable and beyond that, he enjoyed the room quite a bit. And that was that for Chita, there in one of the master suites at the end of the top floor of the inn. |
| Aerith | Naturally, the next morning came... and she found herself coming out ahead by the time she went to bed. No use of any senses, no trying to slip cards beneath her sleeves... she simply read a few subtle cues here and there, nudged a few people to make unwise bets. Aerith walked out of her room in her usual denim and cotton, with the leather cuff boots to match. She adjusted the ribbon in her hair, checked to see if her braid was wound just the way she wanted it, and took in a deep breath as she made her way toward Chita's room. Whether he would be surprised, disturbed, or suspicious of her was no longer a concern. She'd found him, and now they were going to talk. She wouldn't tell him what she knew; on the contrary. She'd get him to tell her himself. It wasn't long before she reached the penthouse areas, and marveled at how the entire floor looked. She wouldn't have minded getting one of these herself, but she had other things to take care of. Ah, there it was. His room. She briefly checked her subconscious... yup, still there. Probably with the mother of all headaches, too. Fortunately, there was a way to help with that... |
| Chita | The Viera was still quite asleep at the moment, and in exactly the spot he had fallen asleep. Drunk as he was, he didn't even dream. He just kind of... lost consciousness and was dead to the world, even still. It would take some effort on her part, such as beating on the door, or coming in on her own, before he got up. |
| Aerith | Aerith made the attempt to knock at the door, just to get his attention... and there was no answer. She knocked again, calling out his name, and still nothing. Oh yes, this would take a bit of force. But how to do it without disturbing things? It wasn't like she had a key that could open anything. Aerith sighed and shook her head. Poor thing had gotten himself plastered to sleep. He'd be feeling this one when he got up... Aerith smiled. Yes, he would, wouldn't he? She wouldn't have to do anything but wait for him to get back up. So she walked away, headed back to her room, and kept a metaphysical eye on him for now. When he got up, she'd know... and she would have the remedy for his very big, very disorienting problem. |
| Chita | Not even ten seconds after she walked away he rolled over onto his back, covers draped over him from the waist down as he just laid there, still half asleep. What even woke him up? What time was it? He couldn't tell, what, with the lack of vision. No real way to determine the time of day. So, he just lays there, 'staring' up at the ceiling without his blindfold on, idly scratching at his leg with one hand and still feeling rather disoriented. |
| Aerith | Aerith stopped with a grin plastered on her face. Yup, there he goes. She turned toward the door again, made her way to where she stood just moments earlier. And knocked again. "Wake-up call for a mister Chita," she called out in a sing-song voice. |
| Chita | "Wha?" His tone was entirely confused as he tried to figure out if this was some strange dream or otherwise. Someone was calling for him. What time was it? Where was he even? He slowly rolled out of the bed that was large enough to fit four normal-sized humes, two in either direction, before a loud thump could be heard. He totally just fell onto the floor. Groaning out in an annoyed tone he slowly pushes himself up and props himself against the bed as he tries to make sense of things. Hangover indeed. When he finally recalls where he was Chita feels around for the wall and walks his way towards the front door. Fumbling around with the lock, Chita finally managed to get it undone before opening the door a bit towards himself and winding up half-leaning against the wall of the door frame, the door half-blocking him from sight. Probably a good thing, for both of them, given he wasn't even really dressed at the moment. So disoriented that he'd forgotten he went to sleep in the buff. "What... do you need?" His hair was a mess, but clean, hanging across his face at the moment. |
| Aerith | Aerith paused for a moment, giving him a good once-over. She'd seen him last night, and it was a far cry from what he was right now. Maybe it was time to get him good and sobered. And perhaps the first thing she would do was explain to him what was going on. "Symptoms of a hangover... nausea, sweating, anxiety, increased heart rate, and an acute sense of being really messed up." Aerith giggled and placed the index and thumb of her right hand together. "The only thing that makes a hangover that much worse... is that the slightest noise makes your ears ring like they were just next to a cathedral bell." She took a few steps forward. "Unless you want me to demonstrate, you're going to let your good friend in." |
| Chita | At first, Chita wasn't even sure who the hell it was. Eventually he came to the conclusion it sounded like Aerith and he started to take a step back. He wasn't really in a good, or bad mood at the moment. "Yes, well..." he'd started to make a remark about Vieras naturally having a heightened hearing, which made it all the worse, before she made her little threat. The Viera took a deep breath before stopped and turned towards her before leaning in close and saying, "I may find you cute, but do not push your luck. I am not... in a good state and would probably shove something in your mouth to keep you quiet." Now WHAT he would shove in her mouth remains to be seen as he didn't really have anything to do such. But that statement still held true, even as he turned around and walked back towards his bed. Perhaps now would be a good time for her to point out that he wasn't dressed, otherwise she could simply keep it to herself and not bother telling him. Not like he'd notice, immediately. He was too out of it to think about anything other than getting back to the bed and laying down again. |
| Aerith | "Funny thing about noises... I don't need to talk in order to make those big ears of yours hurt." She stepped into the room, her fingers still in prime position to carry out her threat at any given moment. She closed the door behind her with her left hand, then locked it. "You're going to sit right there on that bed, and I'm going to get rid of that headache for you. Got it?" |
| Chita | Sit? No, he's going to lay, on his stomach, eyes closed on the bed and looking like he might just fall back asleep. "Aerith... please understand me when I say this. If you try to hurt me right now, by making noise, I /will/ make you regret it." His voice was a soft growl of sorts, normally never one to say something like that, seems he really wasn't in a good mood. He wasn't resisting, though, whatever she intended to do. Even as he laid there with one foot wrapped up in the covers. |
| Aerith | "Well, that sounds promising." She headed for the mini-bar with a bag full of a few certain items, including an egg of all things. Aerith retrieved a glass from the cabinet, just before cracking the egg into it. "Rough night, huh?" |
| Chita | A rather sleep response of, "Some idiot hooker would not leave me be, pissed me off. Finally just... walked away and came to sleep." And that was that. Seems Janice was lowered to 'some idiot hooker' status in his mind, since he really knew nothing of her and she was really wanting to keep him company. As far as he was aware, she was simply after his munny. |
| Aerith | Surprised? No, not in the least. Dissapointed? A little. But she let neither show as she pulled out of the bag, of all things, a bottle of Worcestershire sauce. One tablespoon of it went into the glass, along with the egg. Dash of salt, touch of pepper. "Well, I was right to track you down. You seem to have gotten in a bad way these days." She looked over her right shoulder. Should she let him know about his predicament? Aerith smirked. It was too amusing; let him think he still had his clothes on for now. "Almost done here, just a bit longer." |
| Chita | "Why ARE you here?" Chita asked that softly before reaching up and dragging two pillows in front of him and reaching both arms up to hug around them tightly and bury his face in them. His tail twitched slightly in a mixture of agitation and exhaustion, and still a bit disoriented from it all. The headache, and being blind, wasn't helping his sense of what was going on. "And what... are you even doing?" |
| Aerith | "Making you a way out of your current predicament." She pulled out a bottle of Tabasco sauce and put in two dashes, then headed over toward him. "And you are going to drink it. Don't smell it, don't taste it. Just down it in one shot. You WILL regret it if you don't." She gave the glass to him. "Trust me, this'll work within fifteen seconds." |
| Chita | That's the thing about Viera - they usually wind up smelling things even if they don't intend to. That's kind of why Malboros are such a problem for them, and why Chita never wore Cologne, or really associated much with those who heavily used perfumes. It's also why when it got closer he coughed and said, "No way. Did you... put egg in that?" His nose was seemingly good enough to pick such out, even amongst the myriad other smells, "I do not eat meat, Aerith, I thought... you knew that." |
| Aerith | Aerith frowned. "Do you want a real hangover cure, or do you want the other one, where you drink to temporarily get rid of your symptoms, only to have them come back two minutes later?" She shook her head. "No time for semantics. Down it." |
| Aerith | Aerith sighed. "Well there's not much else I can do. Do you want a real hangover cure, or do you want the other one, where you drink to temporarily get rid of your symptoms, only to have them come back two minutes later?" She shook her head with a chuckle. "Don't answer that." She made her way toward the bar again. "How about I just get you some water and we'll nurse you back to some kind of normal?" |
| Chita | For a few moments he simply laid there before he mumbled into the pillows, "I will be fine. How about... instead, you simply tell me why you are here? You did not come all the way here just to... baby me." As he asked that before he reached down to scratch his lower back. In the process his hand rubbed across his hip and he stopped there, hand on his hip, slowly sliding down to his leg before he asked, "...did you really let me wander around undressed?" Seems he finally noticed. |
| Aerith | Aerith giggled. "That's what you get for getting plastered." She poured a glass of water for him and headed over to the bed. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone if you won't." She made her way over and presented the drink to him. "Now then... why I'm here." Whether he took it or not, she sat down in the nearest chair next to the bed. "I was worried about you, you know. Figured you'd get yourself into some kind of mess." |
| Chita | A grumbling sound comes out of Chita before he feels around for the cover and half drags it over himself, not really for his own sake so much as attempting to maintain some semblance of decency around Aerith. Not that she seemed to care, but still. "Ass." he referred to her before he slowly moved to sit up against the headboard of the bed, dragging the cover with him so it covered his lower half. Still no shirt, but who really cared about such? "And... how did you even /find/ me? The staff here would not tell where I was... and how did you even know I was at Serendipity?" All of this was simply confusing. |
| Aerith | Aerith shrugged. "Honestly? I asked around to see if you were here or not. Looked everywhere else that you might have gone and finally found you in Serendipity. Soon as I heard you'd had a bit too much to drink, I figured I'd use my own methods to locate you." She smiled, though he couldn't see it. "Those, I'm not telling you about." |
| Chita | Chita patted around the nightstand next to him where he heard the water set down and picks it up carefully before taking a drink from it. He didn't immediately say anything, though he was still questioning things in his mind. "Okay then." And with that, he went back to being silent, actually feeling a bit awkward. Nothing made sense now, last night, or today, at all. Hell, for all he knew this wasn't even real and it was just some strange dream. |
| Aerith | Aerith glanced over at him. "You sure you don't want the quick way out of this? It's gonna take a long time to replace all the water you probably lost." When your best friend was a barmaid, you hear about these things all the time. When you worked with her on an almost daily basis however, experience becomes an adept teacher. |
| Chita | "I will be fine. Is that truly the only reason you searched me out? Something about this all just does not add up for me, but I cannot put a finger on it. Perhaps it is my condition, but..." at that he sighed and downed the rest of the water before leaning back against the headboard of the bed with his head and closing his eyes, not that it made much of a difference. |
| Aerith | Aerith shrugged. "What do you want me to say? Ever since this whole thing with the weapon started, I can't help but wonder if you're gonna be okay. Lo and behold, you're getting drunk over something I can't even imagine." Oh, but she could. "Tell you what. How about we start from the beginning." She took a deep breath. "Forget about why I'm here. Why are *you* here?" |
| Chita | What was he even supposed to say? He'd finally broken down on his morals the other day and actually attempted to kill someone. Sure, he'd fought with lethal force before, but he fought knowing it /could/ happen, rather than actually, explicitly TRIED to end someones life. It bothered him, almost as much as having broken her arm and gotten no response out of her. Was she even alive? Was she some undead? Unset? ... was she like him? Cursed to no peace after death and possibly forced to stay even if such happened? "I do not wish to discuss such, or even think about it. I came here to forget and have fun... and now I feel like crap from more than just my hangover." He actually seemed a bit irate about that. "You should learn that sometimes, others just want to be... left alone." then he blinked. Wait... surely she wasn't... "Tell me that was not you badgering me at the bar last night, Aerith." Something about the persistence and questioning must have made two and two connect. |
| Aerith | Aerith blinked for a moment. "Um... what are you talking about? I wasn't here last night. I was at Seventh Heaven, keeping the place maintained." She chuckled. "Honestly, I don't know where you're getting this, but you're starting to creep me out a little." |
| Chita | "So you went from Goug... to Lindblum, by Chocobo or vehicle, then took an airship to Eden, then traveled to Serendipity by foot or Chocobo, all the while scouring for information as to where I was, found I was here at some point in that - likely while you were in Goug despite me not having told anyone where I was going, ever, beyond going to Eden from Lindblum..." Shifting a bit, Chita sat upon the edge of the bed and left the cover keeping him decent. "Last chance, Aerith. I appreciate it all... but I am not going to be lied to, by anyone. Even you." |
| Aerith | Aerith shook her head. "Well I can see you're not doing me any favors as far as that. And while I would love to have been around the world looking for you, truth is... I really didn't." Heck, that was all new to her. She had to take a moment to process all that. "In fact, if I had followed you all along that route, you'd have known it sometime down the road. Not to mention the fact that I'd have told you I was behind you from the moment you set out for those places." And then there was the fact that he had no idea there was another way to get there. |
| Chita | "I'm blind Aerith... I do not know such things. I have a hard enough time locating where /I/ am, let alone realizing someone is following me." Chita took a deep, slow breath before saying, "I do not appreciate this, Aerith. I came to get away from my problems, not have you drag them out of me... again. Please, just stop." |
| Aerith | Aerith gave a nod. This was not going the way she wanted it to, but then again, nothing had been going her way as of late. Par for the course. She stood and stretched out. "If that's what you think is best. Just keep drinking that water and you'll be fine in about an hour or two." She made her way toward the double doors, not knowing if she'd see him again or not. That thought made her stop for a moment. "For what it's worth, just be careful out there." |
| Chita | All of this just left him not knowing what to think, or what to do, or what to say. So much going on while he was feeling his hangover just left him rather overwhelmed with it all. "Aerith?" he asks softly, not looking up or towards her or anything other than staying where he was. "The one who created that weapon... her name is Rhiannon. Rhiannon Zellen. I still plan to carry through with my plans... and eventually deal with the weapon, but if I fail somehow... find someone who is willing to kill her and do just that." Maybe it's obvious, given his tone, that it hurt him quite a bit to say that. |
| Aerith | Aerith nodded. "Good to know. I'll be sure to remember it." She was glad he couldn't see her smile. He was still going to go through with what she considered to be folly. But that wasn't her angle. Her angle was to put this to rest, and he'd just given her a green light, if a conditional one. Better than nothing at all. "If you do fail... I'll be there to drag your problems out of you. Again." |
| Chita | "I would rather you not." he says in response to her. "Just... I do not need to be saved, Aerith. I do not need... you to hunt me down when I feel terrible for having hurt someone I was hoping would change. Do not need you to hunt me down when I feel terrible, period. Please, just stay out of my head... and my heart... if you cannot be up front with me. I cannot handle all of this, Aerith. Cannot handle... having someone else know so much about my private thoughts and past, unless I can trust them fully." |
| Aerith | Aerith gave a shrug. "It's not that complicated, really." She looked over her right shoulder. "If I wanted to save you, I'd drag you to one side by your ears and tell you what all was wrong with your plan, top to bottom." And this time, she was being up front. "I'd do this myself if I had to. But honestly, I wouldn't know how to." She turned to face him. "Save you? No. But if you ever need me, I'll be right behind you. Maybe not physically, but..." She nodded. "You get the idea." She turned and made her way toward the doors, unlocking them before she left. "Just something to think about." And then, she was gone. |
| Chita | "..." He waited until she was gone before saying, "Why can't she just understand... what it feels like to have someone know your darkest worries... and to know nothing about them." And it was only then that he came to realize why he was actually scared of Aerith right then, worried about her. Fearful. Even if he was exposed physically... he was always exposed to her emotionally and there was nothing he could do to hide such. Worse than any curse of Hades... that forced his gender and lifestyle exposed... she had exposed his heart, and never given him anything in return. And as far as he knew... she never had any intention of it. And with that, Chita laid down on the bed and curled up underneath the covers. |
| Aerith | Aerith walked away, her eyes narrowed. Shinra had to ruin everything for everyone didn't they? It was their fault Rhiannon ran around unchecked, their fault for Chita's current disposition... and she wasn't even blaming them entirely. Hades, Maleficent, a whole other chain of foes hiding in the shadows that she couldn't name. Chita had given her a potential target, the one that gave him this insanity in the first place, for no other apparent reason than for her own sadistic curiosity. All those people in the slums, never to return again, and she'd laughed at it. So yes, she would be the first to receive her due. All Aerith had to do was wait for the chance to act. She hoped it would come soon. |