Post by skyeknight on Nov 14, 2017 19:52:47 GMT
To her surprise, Terra’s younger brother called her out of the blue. She hadn’t heard from Terra’s family since the funeral. Ventus Nobel (or Ven to his friends) wanted to meet up with her. He was a sweet young man. She always adored Ven like a little brother she always wanted. She was hard pressed to tell him no, so they made plans to meet at Nevermore. Luckily for Aqua, none of her friends made an appearance. As much as she enjoyed their company, her nerves were raw and stretched thin after both emotionally exhausting conversations with Omar and Riku. She couldn’t handle another breakdown.
When she walked in, she spotted Ven in a booth by himself. He gave a cheery little wave when he saw her. She joined him, sitting in the seat across from him. He set a cup down in front of her. A smile crossed her lips when she caught a whiff of peppermint hot chocolate. A small plate of chocolate dipped madeleine was slyly pushed in front of her. He remembered her sweet tooth. Not many people did.
"Hello, Ven."
"Heya, Blue!"
Around Ven, things were comfortable. She knew what to expect from him. He had been a constant in her life nearly as long as Terra had been. The three of them had been close, but after Terra’s disappearance, Ven pulled away. He threw himself into his technology as a way to cope with what happened. And Aqua was left alone. She shut down entirely. But she didn’t blame Ven one bit. After all, if she had been a better partner and girlfriend, Terra might still have been alive.
"How have you been?" she asked.
"Awesome! I graduate this fall. So done with college and books."
Aqua laughed. Ven had never been the studious type. A hard worker? Yes, absolutely, but not studious. He just hated the dull books on his preferred area of study. He was more of a hands on learner, where he had to do it himself. No one Aqua knew had a grasp on technology quite like Ven did. He was quite brilliant when he wanted to be. He could also be lazy when he wanted to be too. More than once he had gotten in trouble for slacking off when he was supposed to be doing something.
"You’re almost there, so don’t give up," she encouraged.
"I was wondering if you would go to my graduation ceremony..."
Aqua blinked in surprise but then her expression softened. Was that why he got her sweets? He was trying to butter her up so she would be a little more agreeable when he asked? She was going to say yes anyways. She hadn’t seen him in ages, mostly in part of her own guilt for what happened to his brother. But she honestly did miss the little guy. Ven had a way of capturing the attention of everyone in the room and winning them over. He was just that sort of guy – the one you met that day and already felt you had a friend in.
"Of course, Ven. I wouldn’t miss it for the world."
For the next few hours and multiple orders at the counter for more snacks and food, they two of them were catching up. Terra’s family was doing okay. They finally had closure for their oldest son. They were grateful for what she did for them, even though she had to bring them bad news. If anything, they had been more than understanding and were delicate and gentle with her. Ven had even joked and said that his mother was going to be sending her sweets for the holidays. She didn’t know how they could move on past his death, she had been partially responsible but they were treating her as much as a victim as they were.
She took a deep breath. She had to think of three good things, like Riku had told her. Number one: Ven and his parents weren’t mad at her for telling them the bad news. Number two: his family seemed to be recovering after his loss. Number three: they still wanted to be a part of her life despite everything that had happened. It helped to put it in that perspective. Ven spoke to her as if no time had passed at all. Was this another human thing? Being able to pick up where things had left off even after a few years? It seemed so natural.
"So, Aqua, what’s this about you getting serenaded by a guy?"
Aqua went still. She could feel the color draining from her face. Ven had a mischievous look on his face, like the cat that got the canary. So it seemed Ven could throw curve balls at her as well. What must he think? His brother’s girl going after some other guy not shortly after they buried him? It looked bad. It sounded worse. Her heart sank in her chest. Was this the reason why he called her there? To call her out on her future relationship with Omar? If only he hadn’t gone so… public with it.
"I uh, well he’s – and I – um –"
"Uh huh. You were so oblivious the poor guy had to make a public announcement!"
She flushed with embarrassment. She had chosen to be oblivious about what Omar was doing. Mostly because she couldn’t see how a guy like him would want a girl like her. He was ages older than her. He also had kids her age (one of which was her roommate). She had arrested him at one point. Then he had gotten tortured for refusing to say he would see someone else. In a way, the depth of Omar’s feelings for her scared her. That was mostly because he saw her worth being tortured over. He just… disappeared, just like Terra. And she would have lost him like Terra too if it hadn’t been for Jane and Namine going to the police with a missing person’s report.
Perhaps that was the worst part, the similarities between Terra and Omar. Both were absolutely different individuals, but both had suffered for her sake. The fear of losing anyone was keeping her paralyzed. One loss right after another, where she played some part in the deaths of her loved ones. Her father could have saved himself from the car accident; instead he chose to save her. Terra made a deal with Vanitas for her life, but it ended his. Then Omar, confessed his feelings in the most romantic way possible, only to be dragged to his own personal Hell at the hands of what was supposed to be his father figure.
"You aren’t… mad?"
This time Ven’s expression looked soft. His eyes suddenly held ages of wisdom, like he had seen too much. Aqua realized now he had been leading up to this. Her mouth opened slightly, but words escaped her. After all this time, he was still trying to look out for her, even when she hadn’t expected him to. Ven reached across the table and gave her hand a squeeze. She squeezed it back, needing him like an anchor to keep her grounded.
"Aqua, you loved Terra," Ven pointed out. "But even he wouldn’t expect you to remain hung up on him forever, you know? You aren’t limited to only loving one person for the rest of your life."
"But –"
"Nope!" Ven chirped. "It’s been almost four years. You can let go."
Aqua felt that lump in her throat return with a vengeance. Terra wouldn’t have wanted to see her suffer but could she really move on that easily? No. Not easily. Nothing about falling in love was easy. She took a deep breath, trying to recall the feelings she had when she was talking with Sunshine, Elsa and Yang about it. She had been
"What if it doesn’t work out?"
What if once Omar started dating her, he realized she wasn’t worth what he went through to get her? He seemed so afraid of her when they were at Nevermore, like he thought she was the one to call the Unseelies to tell them to punish him. She wanted him to understand she was nothing like the court faeries. Only, she had never been around court faeries. She didn’t know if she was (in a way) like her kin. Despite all that, he still insisted he wanted to be with her. Could she withstand another heartbreak if he decided otherwise?
"Better to have loved and lost than never loved at all."
"You got that off a fortune cookie," she said dryly.
"So?" he retorted, "It still applies."
She shook her head. She couldn’t stand it if he got hurt because of her again. He was slowly recovering as it was. Seeing him battered and broken cut her to the core. She was certain it was supposed to encourage her not to pursue him and it was a very good reason to keep her distance.
"You little brat," she sighed. "How did you even find out?"
"Earth to Aqua, I was at the concert!"
Ven grinned. He was unashamed by the accusation. Pride also seeped from his smile since he was one step ahead of her for once. His unabashed nature only confirmed her suspicions. Ven had a sneaky side to him. Good to know for the future, she supposed. Aqua sank in her seat a little more. Not only did Ven know about her love life, he was there to witness it. How embarrassing.
"Now, you’re going to go ask that nice guy out," he told her, "And get me an autograph while you’re at it."
"So bossy."
"That’s not a no."
If he wasn’t such a good friend, Aqua might have shoved the cream puff he reached for into his face in retaliation for being a smart ass. He was right, she hadn’t said no to his little ‘demand’ but she also hadn’t said yes either. She was still on the fence about even going near Omar at this point. She was tired of people getting hurt because of her and not being able to do a damn thing about it. She might not have been the cause of the suffering but she was a variable in the matter.
"Ven."
"Do you like him?" he asked.
"I –"
She had been battling with that question since Omar confessed. Did she like him? At first, when she met him, he had been bitter, angry and resentful of her simply because of the uniform she wore. He seemed to have warmed up to her after she gave him a key to her apartment, so he could check on Namine when she was away. When they were at the bar together, he even dedicated a song to her. That should have been her first clue he liked her. And then there ‘get to know you’ dinner… How excited he had been to see her at the concert, how hard he had tried to get her there – even roping in Namine to encourage her.
But those were all things proving he liked her. Not the other way around.
She had been… uncomfortable around him at first, considering the arrest. Then uncertain after what happened with the whole bar and song dedication. Their first dinner date, she had been fatigued, but no less touched by his understanding and kindness. They might have even flirted back and forth? She had gotten caught up in the moment. At the concert, she had been surprised and caught off guard. After given time to let it all sink in and at the girl’s night, she had been hesitant and uncertain, just as she was now, but also, thinking about it, she had butterflies and she blushed and giggled with the rest of the girls. She was going to say yes before Omar’s… incident.
"I – no. Yes?" she sighed. "I don’t know."
"Look, no one is asking you to marry the guy just yet," Ven said. "Just test the waters."
"We can’t get married. Church soil burns him like iron would burn me."
Ven smirked. Aqua hadn’t even realized she said it. She had been thinking about how Omar had gotten hurt. A church was the last place he would want to go. Granted, weddings don’t always have to happen at a church. She shook that thought from her head. She wasn’t even seeing the guy yet, let alone thinking of that level of commitment. She still had the ring that Terra intended to propose to her with.
"Already looking at marriage?" he teased.
Aqua went red in the face. She most certainly was not thinking about marriage. She was more concerned what going near a church (even if it wasn’t for a wedding) would do to him. It couldn’t be good mentally. The only wedding she would be attending in any near future was Riku’s. She glowered at Ventus. The little brat was smiling as if he won some sort of prize for embarrassing and annoying her.
"Ven, I will end you."
"Aw, love you too."
When she walked in, she spotted Ven in a booth by himself. He gave a cheery little wave when he saw her. She joined him, sitting in the seat across from him. He set a cup down in front of her. A smile crossed her lips when she caught a whiff of peppermint hot chocolate. A small plate of chocolate dipped madeleine was slyly pushed in front of her. He remembered her sweet tooth. Not many people did.
"Hello, Ven."
"Heya, Blue!"
Around Ven, things were comfortable. She knew what to expect from him. He had been a constant in her life nearly as long as Terra had been. The three of them had been close, but after Terra’s disappearance, Ven pulled away. He threw himself into his technology as a way to cope with what happened. And Aqua was left alone. She shut down entirely. But she didn’t blame Ven one bit. After all, if she had been a better partner and girlfriend, Terra might still have been alive.
"How have you been?" she asked.
"Awesome! I graduate this fall. So done with college and books."
Aqua laughed. Ven had never been the studious type. A hard worker? Yes, absolutely, but not studious. He just hated the dull books on his preferred area of study. He was more of a hands on learner, where he had to do it himself. No one Aqua knew had a grasp on technology quite like Ven did. He was quite brilliant when he wanted to be. He could also be lazy when he wanted to be too. More than once he had gotten in trouble for slacking off when he was supposed to be doing something.
"You’re almost there, so don’t give up," she encouraged.
"I was wondering if you would go to my graduation ceremony..."
Aqua blinked in surprise but then her expression softened. Was that why he got her sweets? He was trying to butter her up so she would be a little more agreeable when he asked? She was going to say yes anyways. She hadn’t seen him in ages, mostly in part of her own guilt for what happened to his brother. But she honestly did miss the little guy. Ven had a way of capturing the attention of everyone in the room and winning them over. He was just that sort of guy – the one you met that day and already felt you had a friend in.
"Of course, Ven. I wouldn’t miss it for the world."
For the next few hours and multiple orders at the counter for more snacks and food, they two of them were catching up. Terra’s family was doing okay. They finally had closure for their oldest son. They were grateful for what she did for them, even though she had to bring them bad news. If anything, they had been more than understanding and were delicate and gentle with her. Ven had even joked and said that his mother was going to be sending her sweets for the holidays. She didn’t know how they could move on past his death, she had been partially responsible but they were treating her as much as a victim as they were.
She took a deep breath. She had to think of three good things, like Riku had told her. Number one: Ven and his parents weren’t mad at her for telling them the bad news. Number two: his family seemed to be recovering after his loss. Number three: they still wanted to be a part of her life despite everything that had happened. It helped to put it in that perspective. Ven spoke to her as if no time had passed at all. Was this another human thing? Being able to pick up where things had left off even after a few years? It seemed so natural.
"So, Aqua, what’s this about you getting serenaded by a guy?"
Aqua went still. She could feel the color draining from her face. Ven had a mischievous look on his face, like the cat that got the canary. So it seemed Ven could throw curve balls at her as well. What must he think? His brother’s girl going after some other guy not shortly after they buried him? It looked bad. It sounded worse. Her heart sank in her chest. Was this the reason why he called her there? To call her out on her future relationship with Omar? If only he hadn’t gone so… public with it.
"I uh, well he’s – and I – um –"
"Uh huh. You were so oblivious the poor guy had to make a public announcement!"
She flushed with embarrassment. She had chosen to be oblivious about what Omar was doing. Mostly because she couldn’t see how a guy like him would want a girl like her. He was ages older than her. He also had kids her age (one of which was her roommate). She had arrested him at one point. Then he had gotten tortured for refusing to say he would see someone else. In a way, the depth of Omar’s feelings for her scared her. That was mostly because he saw her worth being tortured over. He just… disappeared, just like Terra. And she would have lost him like Terra too if it hadn’t been for Jane and Namine going to the police with a missing person’s report.
Perhaps that was the worst part, the similarities between Terra and Omar. Both were absolutely different individuals, but both had suffered for her sake. The fear of losing anyone was keeping her paralyzed. One loss right after another, where she played some part in the deaths of her loved ones. Her father could have saved himself from the car accident; instead he chose to save her. Terra made a deal with Vanitas for her life, but it ended his. Then Omar, confessed his feelings in the most romantic way possible, only to be dragged to his own personal Hell at the hands of what was supposed to be his father figure.
"You aren’t… mad?"
This time Ven’s expression looked soft. His eyes suddenly held ages of wisdom, like he had seen too much. Aqua realized now he had been leading up to this. Her mouth opened slightly, but words escaped her. After all this time, he was still trying to look out for her, even when she hadn’t expected him to. Ven reached across the table and gave her hand a squeeze. She squeezed it back, needing him like an anchor to keep her grounded.
"Aqua, you loved Terra," Ven pointed out. "But even he wouldn’t expect you to remain hung up on him forever, you know? You aren’t limited to only loving one person for the rest of your life."
"But –"
"Nope!" Ven chirped. "It’s been almost four years. You can let go."
Aqua felt that lump in her throat return with a vengeance. Terra wouldn’t have wanted to see her suffer but could she really move on that easily? No. Not easily. Nothing about falling in love was easy. She took a deep breath, trying to recall the feelings she had when she was talking with Sunshine, Elsa and Yang about it. She had been
"What if it doesn’t work out?"
What if once Omar started dating her, he realized she wasn’t worth what he went through to get her? He seemed so afraid of her when they were at Nevermore, like he thought she was the one to call the Unseelies to tell them to punish him. She wanted him to understand she was nothing like the court faeries. Only, she had never been around court faeries. She didn’t know if she was (in a way) like her kin. Despite all that, he still insisted he wanted to be with her. Could she withstand another heartbreak if he decided otherwise?
"Better to have loved and lost than never loved at all."
"You got that off a fortune cookie," she said dryly.
"So?" he retorted, "It still applies."
She shook her head. She couldn’t stand it if he got hurt because of her again. He was slowly recovering as it was. Seeing him battered and broken cut her to the core. She was certain it was supposed to encourage her not to pursue him and it was a very good reason to keep her distance.
"You little brat," she sighed. "How did you even find out?"
"Earth to Aqua, I was at the concert!"
Ven grinned. He was unashamed by the accusation. Pride also seeped from his smile since he was one step ahead of her for once. His unabashed nature only confirmed her suspicions. Ven had a sneaky side to him. Good to know for the future, she supposed. Aqua sank in her seat a little more. Not only did Ven know about her love life, he was there to witness it. How embarrassing.
"Now, you’re going to go ask that nice guy out," he told her, "And get me an autograph while you’re at it."
"So bossy."
"That’s not a no."
If he wasn’t such a good friend, Aqua might have shoved the cream puff he reached for into his face in retaliation for being a smart ass. He was right, she hadn’t said no to his little ‘demand’ but she also hadn’t said yes either. She was still on the fence about even going near Omar at this point. She was tired of people getting hurt because of her and not being able to do a damn thing about it. She might not have been the cause of the suffering but she was a variable in the matter.
"Ven."
"Do you like him?" he asked.
"I –"
She had been battling with that question since Omar confessed. Did she like him? At first, when she met him, he had been bitter, angry and resentful of her simply because of the uniform she wore. He seemed to have warmed up to her after she gave him a key to her apartment, so he could check on Namine when she was away. When they were at the bar together, he even dedicated a song to her. That should have been her first clue he liked her. And then there ‘get to know you’ dinner… How excited he had been to see her at the concert, how hard he had tried to get her there – even roping in Namine to encourage her.
But those were all things proving he liked her. Not the other way around.
She had been… uncomfortable around him at first, considering the arrest. Then uncertain after what happened with the whole bar and song dedication. Their first dinner date, she had been fatigued, but no less touched by his understanding and kindness. They might have even flirted back and forth? She had gotten caught up in the moment. At the concert, she had been surprised and caught off guard. After given time to let it all sink in and at the girl’s night, she had been hesitant and uncertain, just as she was now, but also, thinking about it, she had butterflies and she blushed and giggled with the rest of the girls. She was going to say yes before Omar’s… incident.
"I – no. Yes?" she sighed. "I don’t know."
"Look, no one is asking you to marry the guy just yet," Ven said. "Just test the waters."
"We can’t get married. Church soil burns him like iron would burn me."
Ven smirked. Aqua hadn’t even realized she said it. She had been thinking about how Omar had gotten hurt. A church was the last place he would want to go. Granted, weddings don’t always have to happen at a church. She shook that thought from her head. She wasn’t even seeing the guy yet, let alone thinking of that level of commitment. She still had the ring that Terra intended to propose to her with.
"Already looking at marriage?" he teased.
Aqua went red in the face. She most certainly was not thinking about marriage. She was more concerned what going near a church (even if it wasn’t for a wedding) would do to him. It couldn’t be good mentally. The only wedding she would be attending in any near future was Riku’s. She glowered at Ventus. The little brat was smiling as if he won some sort of prize for embarrassing and annoying her.
"Ven, I will end you."
"Aw, love you too."
