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Post by skyeknight on Oct 7, 2016 17:37:01 GMT
Aqua had forgone her usual hot chocolate, skipped her favorite tea and utterly bypassed her first choice in smoothie. It had surprised even Mrs. Seddon (who asked if she was feeling okay) when she requested coffee. Plain. Black as it came. No sugar. The woman looked visibly concerned as Aqua paid then proceeded to down half of the drink before she was even out the door. She had to get her groceries for the week, especially if she wanted to have something other than take-out but she had no motivation to do so. She looked absolutely miserable. She felt that way too.
Okay, that was putting it mildly. Aqua had joined a dating site in hopes that it would help her get over Terra except her date never showed up. She waited at the bar for over an hour before she admitted to herself that she had been stood up. Her evening went downhill as her drinking went up. That was not something she was particularly proud of nor did she want Riku to know. After what happened at the ball, cases had been rather rough of late. She appreciated her partner's concern but she also needed some space of her own. She had been without a partner for so long, she forgot what it was like to have one. |
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Oct 8, 2016 14:57:50 GMT
Researching magical ways to defend herself against a demon had only been half of Weiss's mission over the past few weeks. The other had involved picking up the speed on her fencing lessons. Even a demon wasn't resistant to a good old-fashioned steel blade. And while guns were probably more effective, Weiss felt like one would be awkward in her hands. She'd never shot one before, and she wasn't about to start. So, she had decided to work hard on her sword play. She had been improving, but she felt like it wasn't enough. It had taken a lot of convincing on her parents' part to get her to take a break and get some fresh air for once. While nobody knew exactly what Weiss was working on, those around her sensed that she was throwing herself into some kind of project. And they worried that she was becoming obsessed with it.
This almost seemed to be emphasized as strangers greeted her as she made her way onto Magnolia Road, asking how she was doing, how her parents were doing, and how construction was going on at the house. They almost looked surprised that she was out, as they commented on how it had been ages since anybody had seen her last. Weiss answered everything she could with a polite smile, but she appreciated it once people had had their fill and finally went about to do their daily business. She gave a sigh. She probably should have expected this. After the ball, her family had become even more popular than ever, although not necessarily in a good way. A ball crashed by a crazy demon was the last thing her parents wanted to be remembered for. No doubt they would have some kind of big function later, to try and put the ball out of everyone's minds. She gave another dejected sigh.
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Post by skyeknight on Oct 8, 2016 22:24:23 GMT
Aqua rounded the corner on the street. She gave pause when she saw a familiar face. The woman looked slightly dejected. She hesitated before she made her way over to the white haired teen. It wasn't until she got closer did she realize that this younger girl was Riku's little sister and the girl from the ball. The same girl who had worried about her friend's safety, not her own. It was sweet of her to be so concerned about others, but she had been the one in immediate danger. Aqua had yet to tell Riku about the encounter and she doubted it would go over well considering how Riku was the type to have a protective streak a mile wide.
"Hey," Aqua greeted gently.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Oct 9, 2016 0:42:07 GMT
Weiss glanced up when she heard a voice address her. She gave a little gasp. She had only met this woman once before, but she hadn't forgotten her. It was kind of hard not to remember someone who had bright blue hair. "You...you were one of the officers at the ball, weren't you?" she said. Their encounter had been a brief one, mainly with Weiss worrying about Adrien and the officer assuring her that he would be safe.
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Post by skyeknight on Oct 9, 2016 1:00:33 GMT
"That's right," Aqua said. "I'm glad to see you're okay. That was quite an ordeal."
Weiss should be proud of herself. That was something rather harrowing. Lots of people wouldn't have been able to handle something like that. Aqua offered one of her kinder smiles. She might have been off the clock, but there was never a time Aqua would turn away from someone involved in one of her cases. Especially one that was still ongoing. Weiss looked tired. Aqua could only imagine why. Her home was under reconstruction after a demon plowed through it like it was nothing but a house of cards.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Oct 9, 2016 1:12:40 GMT
"Yeah," was all Weiss could say in reply. That pretty much summed up how she felt about the whole thing anyway. It had been a bit of an ordeal. "I bet it's been crazy at the office too," she said. No doubt every police man and woman was going nuts trying to find Thrax. Nobody had seen him since the ball, and it made Weiss worry. He wouldn't have just skipped town and left forever. He was still here. She could feel it. She wondered if Riku had worked on the case at all. She still hadn't talked to him since a few weeks before the ball, and he was often on her mind. She didn't even know how he felt about all this, or if he cared about what had happened to her. Part of her wanted to find him and ask him what he thought. The other part of her was determined not to give in. If he was concerned about her, he would have called by now, or something like that. At least, that was what she kept telling herself.
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Post by skyeknight on Oct 9, 2016 1:22:23 GMT
"Something like that," Aqua said.
Truth was, the officers were stretched thin. Leads had dried up almost instantly. The demon was keeping a low profile. Between investigating the demon attack and new cases that cropped up, it was no wonder cases went to Ralph or to the new bounty hunter that arrived in town recently. Aqua alone had cases she was working on before Riku showed up and while he was a help, he seemed to dislike paperwork as much as she did. She wouldn't see why he would like it. Paperwork was dull and tedious as it was numerous and it made starting new cases hard.
"Have you kept yourself busy since then?" she asked.
She wanted to ask if Weiss was taking care of herself. Partially for Riku's sake, but her Seelie nature was fighting to make itself known. A mother hen who clucked about over those who needed assistance, whether or not they'd actually take it from her.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Oct 9, 2016 2:42:39 GMT
The woman's answer was vague, but Weiss decided it was a good enough one. No doubt Thrax wasn't the only person they were trying to catch. She glanced up when she asked if she had been keeping herself busy. She gave a nod. "Doing the usual, I suppose," she replied. "Voodoo, singing, fencing. It keeps me occupied." Throwing herself into her work was Weiss's prime way of distracting herself from any unwanted thoughts or emotions. She had done the exact same thing after Riku had left. Of course, there was always her other reason for trying to learn as much voodoo was possible. If she wanted any shot of becoming the next Voodoo Queen, she needed to be the best. It was still something she wanted. "I don't believe I know your name," she said. "I'm Weiss, although I guess you already knew that." She gave a little laugh.
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Post by skyeknight on Oct 9, 2016 2:55:36 GMT
"That does sound like a full schedule." Aqua said.
Aqua wondered if the ball wasn't the only thing that Weiss was trying to distract herself from. Perhaps Riku aws another thing to forget about? It was probably hard to let go of him. Not to mention how her parents kept talking about what a scandal this would make and not about the guests who were hurt. Or those who had tried to chase the demon off their daughter in the first place.
"Ah, I'm sorry. Aqua Malone." she said. "And... yes, I do know who you are."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Oct 9, 2016 3:03:02 GMT
Aqua...it was a pretty name. Weiss kind of liked it. She wasn't surprised when Aqua said she already knew who she was. "It's hard to find someone who doesn't, to be honest," she said. Sure, not everybody recognized her on sight. But once she introduced herself, people instantly understood who she was. Not to mention, it was hard not to know who she was at big social events, like parties, parades, or polo matches.
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Post by skyeknight on Oct 9, 2016 3:13:07 GMT
"Well, not exactly because of what you think," Aqua admitted. "I, uh, work with your brother."
This was going to go swimmingly. Riku said his family was livid with him for becoming a cop. They disowned him for it. He had been near tears when he got his badge. But with Weiss, Aqua felt she deserved the truth. The faery was also far too tired to make up some white lie. The truth would get out eventually so there was also no point in hiding it. That only made things complicated.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Oct 9, 2016 3:23:42 GMT
That caught Weiss's attention. So, Aqua worked with Riku too? The only other person she had met who knew him at work was Anna, and she wasn't particularly close to him. "Oh. I see." Weiss tried to keep her voice neutral, but there was still a hint of anger in there. Her clenching fist was also a dead giveaway. Weiss was always torn between being angry at her brother or missing him terribly. It looked like the former reaction was going to dominate this conversation.
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Post by skyeknight on Oct 9, 2016 17:41:55 GMT
"He's... a sweet guy," Aqua said.
She smiled as she thought of her partner. Weiss was probably angry at her for mentioning that Riku worked with her. Aqua's expression softened. Weiss might not have thought it obvious but she was angry about Aqua mentioning Riku. Aqua could relate to Riku. She lost her parents when she was young. Not by choice but by pure accident. It probably hurt more to know his family chose to cut ties with him. Riku certainly didn't like to talk about it. While he might not want to talk about it, he still hurt. But maybe she could help them both?
"He was so proud to have earned that badge." she said. "But... I think he misses you."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Oct 10, 2016 0:06:32 GMT
Weiss shot Aqua a filthy glare when she mentioned how proud Riku was to have earned his badge, and how he missed her. "He sure has a funny way of showing it," she snapped. "How long has it been since the ball? A month? Two months? And not a word from him! Nothing! Nada! Zilch!" If her parents were here, Weiss knew they'd lecture her about losing her cool so easily, but she couldn't help it. Ever since Riku had left, she had felt abandoned. And now, here Aqua was, who seemed to know him better than she did. And it made her jealous.
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Post by skyeknight on Oct 10, 2016 0:14:36 GMT
Aqua looked away. She couldn't make Riku talk to them. But then again, if she were in his shoes too, she wouldn't want to talk to them either. Not when they were the ones who held so much emotional power to hurt him again and again. It was the same way with Terra's parents. Talking to them was like a stab wound to the chest, the emotional knife would get twisted into the wound each time she had to tell them she had no news on their son. Weiss was obviously hurting but so was Riku. While Aqua would be telling Riku his sister was okay, she still felt more loyalty and sympathy to her partner's well being.
"And what is he supposed to say?" she retorted, not harshly, but with the same gentle tone. "You and your parents made it quite clear you don't want anything to do with him. Maybe he doesn't want to keep getting hurt."
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