The Ruder You Are, The Luckier You Are? That Works?! (Rima)

[Celty Ikon]

Something went off in Celty's head about Rima's reaction to him taking off his shirt, but he was mostly oblivious to it. While he was rooting around in his bag for a new shirt, he raised his eyebrow at her and wondered why she was suddenly covering her face. It was sort of... cute, in some sort of backwards way.

As his hands fumbled around for a shirt, he replied, "Well, I did smash myself in the face with a hammer. Not surprised some blood got on me... But, yeah, sometimes swooping does get pretty bloody. I'm not the one usually getting hurt, thoug- Okay, why are you still staring at the ground? That was cute for a couple of seconds, but now it's bothering me."

 

[Celty Ikon]

((And this time it's simply because I'm an idiot.))

[member='Rima Filenko']

 

[Slot 11]

((OOC: ))​

Rima didn't stop. Even if he couldn't see her face, it was easy to tell that she looked a little annoyed.​

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"Why do you think? Sorry, but if I wanted to watch a guy strip I'd just go to the club for it down the street."​

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Okay, that wasn't the best thing to say, especially now that she was starting to picture Celty in a speedo swinging around on a pole. She let out a small groan for her disgusting imagination.​

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[member="Celty Ikon"]​

 

[Celty Ikon]

(( ))

Celty's face went from one of annoyance to actual horror as he got the mental image of himself wearing almost nothing and climbing a pole. His brain now filled with nopenopenopenopenope... Then it stopped as he got annoyed at Rima for even bringing it up. And then, y'know, feeling a little offended that she didn't want to look at him. All that translated into, "Like I'd strip for you, Filly. I don't do that even for girls who are cute."

He snorted at her and continued searching for a shirt.

[member="Rima Filenko"]

 

[Slot 11]

At that, Rima completely snapped out of it and glared over at him.​

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"You wouldn't be able to tell a cute girl from a Bantha, you cyclops! I bet the whole time you stare at girls you're thinking about that bike!"​

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Celty had always been pushy and vocal with his opinions. She hated it when the negative opinions were about her. It made her feel almost hurt that he'd call her ugly. But then again, why should she care? He probably spent his off-time signing autographs and going to female strip clubs!​

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[member="Celty Ikon"]​

 

[Celty Ikon]

Celty totally stopped looking for a shirt, just to glare back at Rima full force. He turned completely red and just stared at her for a moment before getting on the bike and silently laying his head on the handlebars, deliberately looking away from her, trying to make sure he didn't say something he'd regret... Finally, he quietly said, "You don't know anything about my bike, you stupid gunslinging girl."

It didn't even register that he hadn't found a shirt to wear. He was just angry, and annoyed... and hurt. He didn't think Rima would go so far as to insult his dad's bike. He didn't know whether he wanted to cry, or scream at her, or hug her... He just felt horrible.

[member="Rima Filenko"]

 

[Slot 11]

Rima let out a sharp sigh. Well, great. Now he was pouting. Serves him right for being such a jerk all the time! After a few minutes of just standing there, she finally decided to speak up.​

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"You know what? I think we'd better just go our separate ways right now. I can't deal with you always arguing with me if I have a job to focus on. So, bye."​

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She said a little too harshly. She began walking very fast, making it past the guard and out the door. As she was about to completely leave the building, she stopped. What the Hell was she doing? She couldn't just leave! Celty was her best friend! The only best friend she'd ever had, and she hadn't seen him for seven years! But she couldn't deal with all of the fighting. He always ended up seriously hurting her feelings, and she spat it right back at him. God, she hated it when she hurt the bastard. Why did it always hurt her even more? ​

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She buried her face in her hands to fight the tears she could feel welling up in her eyes. Why was it always like this? Why did she always hate him so much, but be unable to go anywhere or do anything without thinking about him? It both confused and frustrated her.​

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"Dammit, Hammerhead...."​

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She breathed into her hands.​

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[member="Celty Ikon"]​

 

[Celty Ikon]

Celty felt himself crying. That was it. He'd probably just lost his best friend over an insult to his bike. He looked up enough that he could see her leave... and then she didn't. She was standing there, with her face in her hands, like she was crying. Frak, he'd made her cry, too? That felt worse than just feeling bad. It felt terrible just watching her cry. Dammit, Filly... Always felt like this with you...

He decided on something. There was one thing she absolutely had to see. Before she left, she had to see where his parents were buried. She deserved to, and she probably would appreciate it at least a little bit. He started the bike, slowly driving it up next to Rima and stopping as he tapped her on the shoulder.

He said, just as quietly as he'd talked before, "I gotta show you something before you leave. Gotta go see my parents."

[member="Rima Filenko"]

 

[Slot 11]

Rima quickly tensed when she heard Celty coming. She hastily wiped her face and took a few deep breaths as he drove up beside her. She looked over at him and nodded without saying anything before hoping on behind him. She wrapped her arms tightly around his still-bare chest, too humiliated to care.​

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[member="Celty Ikon"]​

 

[Celty Ikon]

Celty morosely looked down the road as the bike carried them towards his house. It was in the middle of nowhere, so it took a few minutes, but that time was completely silent. The redhead had nothing to say right now. He didn't feel like there was anything he could say to make their problems go away.

When they finally got to his house, he helped Rima off the bike and walked over behind the house... to where his parents were buried.

[member="Rima Filenko"]

 

[Slot 11]

At first, Rima was feeling a bit happier as they made their way to Celty's house. It was always a good feeling to be around his folks. They were always really fun and supportive.​

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But as Celty passed the house and stopped in the backyard, Rima began to get a sinking feeling. The feeling was solidified when her gaze landed on two graves underneath a tree.​

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"N-no...."​

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She said, covering her mouth with her hands. They couldn't be gone! They were like her second family! It was like losing her parents twice!​

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She stared forlornly at the two graves before looking up at Celty.​

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"I.... I had no idea......"​

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[member="Celty Ikon"]​

 

[Celty Ikon]

Celty sat on the fence around the little area where the graves were. Or rather, he leaned. The fence was far too low for his feet to not touch the ground. He looked at Rima, and his eyes started tearing up again. His parents had taken her in for quite a long time, and he hadn't felt happier in his whole life than when his best friend was living in the same house as him. When he finally spoke, his voice was a little bit raspy, "People always say it's better to know... My dad had some kind of thing messing with his brain. Half the time, he couldn't hear me, and the other half his eyes were... glowing. I always hid on the roof, or took his bike and ran as far as I could. Sometimes he still had normal days, but... It took too much out of him. The Earl felt very free to kill him one day, openly as you like."

He felt himself wrap his arms around Rima, taking a little bit of comfort in her presence, and he whispered, "There was this ghost, Filly. Killing him, burning him up from inside. I could see it, but he couldn't. He'd always come up and find me on the roof, and tell me it was okay. Mama got sick and died in bed, and I thought the shock would help him... But... Mama's ghost came to find him, too."

He held on tight, and thought he could almost hear himself shaking. He whispered, "Oh, god, Rima... I missed you so much. I never got scared when you were around. Didn't see the ghosts when I wasn't alone."

[member="Rima Filenko"]

 

[Slot 11]

Rima controlled herself. She kept any tears from coming this time as Celty clung to her and told her his story. She had to be strong for him right now. He needed a rock to lean on in situations that made him break down like this. It was the same when they were younger, too. She hugged him back just as tightly.​

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"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Celty.... I'm sorry I ever left. And I'm sorry I was the way I was before I left. I won't go away again. I promise. Best friends forever, right?"​

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Rima spoke quietly into Celty's ear in a soothing voice. she gently rubbed his back, letting him know that if he needed to let it out that it was okay. She wasn't going anywhere.​

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[member="Celty Ikon"]​

 

[Celty Ikon]

Celty smiled as Rima answered him. It was impossible not to, when somebody said something like that to him. Especially her, the girl he... Wait, he didn't know how he felt about her. He just knew that being close to her was the best thing ever. She was awesome, and cute, and... she was there. The only person who'd ever made friends with the crazy redhead with the hammer and the bike obsession.

He nodded and pulled back a little so he could look into Rima's face... And of course, say something stupid, "I have one, tiny, problem with that... I've liked you since we were little. And, well... this whole bit... sort of convinced me I should tell you that?"

Of course it then hit him that the stupid thing that he'd said was... *gasp* stupid! Why would Filly like him back, or even be okay with him liking her? He was just the best friend she'd argued with since they could speak... What the hell was he doing that to himself for?

[member="Rima Filenko"]

 

[Slot 11]

Jeez, why was this roller coaster of emotions slamming into Rima today??!! She just kind of stared at Celty for a few minutes, her face shifting from surprise to happiness to confusion to embarrassment. Wait... What.... Who.... Where..... Why.......? Suddenly, she broke out into very nervous and very loud laughter.​

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"Wow, you must be tired Hammerhead! Let's get going so you can sleep on the transport."​

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She said with a false smile, flicking his forehead and turning to walk back toward the bike. The smile disappeared the minute he couldn't see her face anymore. It was replaced by a serious blush and an almost scared expression. Was.... Was that even true? Did he really feel that way about her? She was still uncertain how she felt about him. She'd never felt anything like it before, so how was she supposed to know if she liked him or not?!​

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[member="Celty Ikon"]​

 

[Celty Ikon]

Celty's mind felt sort of blank... She'd basically ignored it... He'd admitted something to her that he'd never admitted to himself and she... brushed him off? He wanted to get angry, but the emotion wouldn't come to him. He still felt absurdly happy just because she was around. Annoyed with himself, he just replied, "Yeah... I'll just... go find a shirt, I guess."

Of course, he found a shirt right when he walked into the house. It was black, sleeveless, and a little bit stretchy. Nice. He walked out and swung up onto his bike, giving Rima the closest thing to a warm smile he could give her while he felt so scattered. Sighing as he looked at his house, he announced, "Well, I'm ready. Let's get going before we end up having to sleep in a spaceport."

[member="Rima Filenko"]

 

[Slot 11]

Taking a deep breath and doing her best to brush her confusing emotions aside, Rima climbed onto the back of the bike again. She hoped that Celty wouldn't bring the subject up again for a while if at all. She needed time to think about everything. She needed to sift through all her feelings and sort them into neat and organized piles before she decided how she felt about him. She rested her head on his back and closed her eyes in silence.​

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[member="Celty Ikon"]​

 

[Celty Ikon]

Celty was very much conscious of the fact that he'd made Rima seriously uncomfortable by telling her how he felt. It hadn't seemed like something he should've kept a secret, but... Now it was looking like they'd barely even been around each other for a couple of hours, and he'd already screwed things up. He felt like an idiot.

As he pulled the bike up to the spaceport, he got off the bike and paid for the tickets onto the ship before Rima got a chance to do so. When he came back to the bike he said, "The next ship's not for a half hour. Should probably get something to eat. Bet it's probably better than whatever we'll get during the ride."

[member="Rima Filenko"]

 

[Slot 11]

Rima shrugged.​

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"I guess so. Though, they have been improving the field rations they give passengers over the years."​

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She took her ticket and glanced around the spaceport.​

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"Hmmm..... There's always McJabba's. But Nabooian Fried Chicken's pretty good, too."​

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[member="Celty Ikon"]​

 

[Celty Ikon]

((If you get to give me crap for Hoth puns, I get to give you crap for Star Warsy fast food names ))

Celty shrugged and pulled his bike out of its parking spot so he could walk it before replying, "Eh, doesn't matter much. NFC is probably better, though. Damn, I'm hungry."

At least it seemed like Rima was relaxed enough to talk to, now...

[member="Rima Filenko"]