2020-02-02: Warms the Heart
- Log: Warms the Heart
- Cast: Lunata Croze, Shalune Amira, Jacqueline Barber
- Where: Meria City - Central Commercial District
- Date: February 02, 2020
- Summary: With an encouraging nudge from Shalune, Lunata works up the courage... to ask Jacqueline out on a date!
================<* Meria City - Central Commercial District *>================ Maybe the heart of Meria City, the commercial district around the main castle is vibrant and lively indeed. Surrounded by a high fortress wall, perhaps a relic of a more warlike history, it contains inns, fine shops of various goods, cafes and restaurants, and includes even a Crest Sorcerer's laboratory and an official ARMs meister to the castle--both of whom work for passing civilians too, time permitting. While there are many popular destinations here, perhaps the most beloved feature of the Castle Town is not the ancient fountain at its center but the Irington bakery near the fortress walls, noted for fine staples but also delicious baked sweets. The long-standing family ownership of many of these shops and relatively low population relative to the rest of the city makes this section of the city almost a small-town feel in such an urban center, though this can mean a few troubles persist when some might imagine the nobility should have fixed them by now... like a certain notable hole in a particular inn's roof that never seems to stay fixed as local kids and some adults run about the tops of buildings here.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Lunata's had a lot to think about since the last time she met with Jacqueline and Shalune. And further still to think about after she started taking swordsmanship lessons (and, really, life lessons) from a certain bespectacled doctor friend of Fei's.
What are her values.
Still, she didn't feel really good the way things were left last time...
So today, hearing that the Caravan Kinship was around in Meria Boule, she's decided to... to try.
She's looking pretty nice today -- she's abandoned the ratty Yggdrasil Alliance jacket that's got so many bullet holes now and has gone with the classic look again; black dress, white jacket, and most importantly, her glasses.
Because those glasses are important to her, even if she doesn't need them to correct her vision anymore.
She's got a bouquet of flowers and a wrapped gift box as she shuffles and looks back to Shalune. "I'm getting butterflies in my stomach again. M-maybe this wasn't a good idea..."
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
"... I am never gonna understand how you can pile yourself into an army's worth of guys with guns, but the thought of sayin' hello to Jay makes you nervous," Shalune puffs out, but the quiet grin on her face and the patient look she offers across are enough to show that - beneath the teasing - she really does understand. She's been in a similar sort of situation for far too long in the past, dancing around Lunata and Jay and hoping nothing would change.
"Don't worry. You look great," she adds with a smile, and the compliment turns out even more genuine than she expected it to be. When Lunata told her of her plan, Shalune thought she'd be more conflicted - after all, she confessed to Lunata, right? They reached an Understanding, or at least a Something.
But instead she just feels refreshed, filed with anticipation and frenetic energy as if to make up for Lunata's lack of it. "Now-- remember, you can't just make her think this is two friends grabbing some lunch. Jay's kinda dim when it comes to this stuff," she says with all the familial love she can muster, not to mention a toothy grin. "So you'll need to make it clear. But don't be too forward or you'll go all Disaster Lunie and then you'll bolt and I'll have to find you hiding in an alley."
She cuts her nattering off before she can go any further, and instead just closes her eyes as she rests her hand on top of Lunata's for a moment. "Just... tell her how you feel. Don't worry about anything else. The most important thing's just to say it. That's what you told me," she adds, unable to resist the light dig.
"I guess I should leave you two to it, though..." she ponders as she bobs from side to side. There is that fake beard she's got somewhere, but...
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Indeed, the Caravan Kinship is in Meria Boule. It's just a normal day along their route...as far as Jacqueline knows. They've been a little on the busy side lately, though not with sales - so, it's nice to get back to business again. She always found it relaxing.
It's the tail end of the day now, though - the flow of customers has subsided, and so it's time to pack things up to head back for the day. In other words, it's the perfect time to approach Jacqueline for anyone who might not otherwise want to interrupt her work.
The sign has been taken down, and Jacqueline can be found packing up her left-over goods with a pleasant smile on her face. Seems like today had been a good day for sales! She doesn't seem to have noticed yet if anyone's watching her.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
"T-they're different things," Lunata blurts out. "If I'm already in that situation, it's incredibly clear to me... right?" Right? Hmmmph. She does have that kind of weird feeling around Shalune like is she betraying her feelings? Well, it's not a terribly clear cut thing for them, their one-way triangle...
They definitely reached a Something.
But Shalune lectures her about how she can't make Jay think it's just friends grabbing lunch, or two alchemists declaring how they're best friends forever by vowing to be together for the rest of their lives.
... there is something about alchemists, perhaps.
"... okay," she sulks. "Act according to my emotions. That's what I wanted to do anyway."
She steps forward and-- aah, she looks nice today too... she moves towards the stall and glances around, scratching the back of her neck.
"Jay, I thought I'd find you in Meria today..." Lunata tilts her head. She still has some of those bandages from when she got retrieved from Shae Ving, but less of them.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
"... I know. But this is Jay," Shalune reminds the other girl, stressing the name. "The worst thing that could possibly happen is she's going to not understand what you mean when you say you like her, in which case you just gotta make it clearer. No-one's going to suddenly have a moral crisis, nothing's going to blow up, the only bullets are--" she rocks on the spot as she pretends to swoon, hands at her chest. "--a bullet to the <3 heart <3."
She lets that hang in the air for a moment - you can almost see the shapes doing so - and then offers quieter smile as she squeezes Lunata's hands. "You can do this. No regrets, okay? Just go for it," she adds as she pats Lunata on the back - then shoves a little, propelling her towards the square where the stall is set up.
That done, she plants her hands on her hips and sighs. It's a little bittersweet, perhaps, but she feels hopeful too. ... now just to find a stall that's doing a discount on the last of its snacks, and maybe she can find a high perch to watch from.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline doesn't Lunata right away - it's only when she hears her speaking up behind her that she looks up from the crate of potions she's presently rearranging and turns her head. Upon spotting Lunata Jacqueline turns around fully, offering her a bright smile.
"Oh, Lunata! I didn't expect to see you today." She says, pleasantly surprised. "Were you looking for me?"
She takes a moment to look Lunata over. She has flowers, something wrapped up, and she's in her classic black and white look... It's a nostalgic look, really.
"You look nice today!" She adds. She doesn't comment on the flowers or the wrapped up box... did she even make the connection?
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Lunata's not-beating heart feels like it skips an illusory thump still. Jacqueline telling her she looks nice just makes Shalune's earlier comment of this being Jay and she could totally miss what she means rings again and again and again in her head--
"Ah... these are for you..." Lunata remarks, holding the flowers and the box as she sets them on the stall table.
She scratches her cheek again, glancing aside. "They're your favourite treats. I baked them just this morning..."
A pause. Shalune tells her that she can do this. "Are you... done with your shift? I think this is when most stalls close up, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Still, one look at Lunata makes Shalune think she should hang around at least a little longer - she's been around the other girl long enough to spot the mental loop start up in her head, and moves forwards to flank her, plucking very briefly at her arm.
Jay gets an approving nod for her compliment, then the pink-haired mechanic grins at the sight of Lunata flustering forwards with her gifts. "She got up real early to do it, so you'd better appreciate them," she warms good-naturedly, then nudges Lunata gently with an elbow to help propel her onwards.
"I'm gonna be stuck for a while yet," she white-lies, her eyebrows up. "I offered to help out a couple of stalls around that need some repairs. It's nothin' major, just some woodwork, but it's been a while since I've had a nice light odd job like that. But if you're done, Lunie had a question for you."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
It isn't long before Lunata is joined by Shalune. Jacqueline should've known she'd be around too. But, she also gets a pleasant smile of greeting.
Lunata says that the flower and box is for her - and Shalune's there with the quick follow-up, stating that Lunata got up really for it, too.
"W-wow, really...? You didn't have to do all that..." Jacqueline says, massaging the back of her neck with a sheepish smile and slight tinge of pink to her cheeks. "And the flowers look lovely, too... Thank you!"
Lunata asks if she's done with her shift, and Jacqueline nods.
"I wrapped up a little bit ago, yeah... I've just been packing everything up to take back to the Carakin." She confirms, patting the crate she had just finished rearranging. She looks toward Shalune then as she states that she's busy. Jacqueline nods...and then, looks toward Lunata curiously as Shalune says that Lunata has a question for her.
"Oh? What is it?" She asks.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Lunata's chest is beating harder still! Why are these mimicked functions here, as if to make the experience more realistic -- and troublesome?!
Then again, perhaps it would feel much worse if she felt nothing altogether. If she didn't even feel attraction, could she really say she was pursuing all this for real? "That's a lie," Lunata answers Shalune with a roll of her eyes. "You're free tonight--"
She looks towards Jacqueline with a quiet scratch of her cheeks and answers, "I... I wanted to..."
*tic tic tic*
'See if you'd like to get dinner with me.'
No, that's definitely on the level of 'Jay would misunderstand.'
"..."
Lunata starts steaming further, pushing her glasses up. "I wondered... if you were free... for-- for..." She needs to say it! Oh no! Say the word! "For... a date."
*record screech*
"B-but if you're busy I understand, too! We can look at another day, or do something else, or--" Oh no, this is the ultimate Lunata Croze technique, the backpedal.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
It's okay. Shalune is there to stop the backpedal, mostly by planting her hands on Lunata's shoulders. This is a better idea than it sounds on paper, because she's aware by now that Lunata will often resort to an actual physical backpedal if the verbal one lasts too long.
"And if you're busy, she'll haunt you," she adds, fast as a whip, before softening. "... it took a lot for her to say that. You know what I mean, right?" she nudges.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Ah, the tell-tale heart...
Jacqueline looks at Shalune curiously when Lunata states outright that Shalune's excuse is a lie, but her attention goes right back to Lunata when she starts talking. She listens to her politely, not rushing her in the slightest...and then, Lunata finally manages to blurt it out.
A date.
That's plain enough for even Jacqueline to be unable to misconstrue, who tends to subconsciously downplay anything like that directed at her.
She freezes in place. It's kind of hard to read her... but, the red blush gradually spreading across her face tells the tale well enough.
She...doesn't know the first thing about dates! Was it okay? What if she made, a fool of herself? She was dressed for business not for a date... did she even have anything suitable for that??
And, Lunata quickly begins to backpedal... Fortunately, Shalune is there to give the both of them a nudge. Jacqueline opens her mouth to speak and nothing comes out, but it's only on the second try that she manages a response.
"N-no, n-no, it's okay! I'm... I'm free today. I didn't have any plans..." She says, raising her hands quickly with an awkward, lopsided smile. "A date... That... that sounds nice! Let's...let's do it."
Jacqueline has to take a second to catch a breath - and to try and regain her composure.
"D-did, um... did you have a place in mind...?"
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Lunata's cheeks ... don't flare up red. She hasn't been able to do that for nearly three years now. Though the flustered expression -- that's something that not even undeath can help her with. But watching Jacqueline's reaction at the very least... well, it's not 'relief', to be clear, but -- perhaps it's a certain specific relief that she didn't misconstrue and lead the conversation down the wrong path again.
Shalune nudges at her, though, and she looks back and-- Jacqueline asks the fateful question.
Did she have a place in mind?
A place
a place aaaaaaaaaaaaa
She didn't even get this far!
'Marina's bakery'
No, that's pretty noisy, and while extremely charming, it's not exactly 'date' material... that and Marina herself would probably wind up teasing her mercilessly about it...
'A restaurant'
Lunata realises that she hasn't really sampled the restaurants around Meria Boule on account that she's actually incredibly diligent, incredibly frugal, and also great a cooking.
"... what... what about the riverside? We can... we can walk and sit down at a bench, then... then..."
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
At least, watching Jay and Lunie like this, Shalune can feel a pang of sympathy for how the three of them have danced around each other. The phrase 'grew up too soon' floats through her mind, and while it's a little hypocritical of her to think that way given they're all of similar ages, it nevertheless feels more true than it ever has.
"Sure, it's a lie," she blithely returns to Lunata with a light smirk. "But I want to see you both go off hand in hand and enjoy yourselves, so I'm pretty sure I can find somethin' to do with myself in the meantime." She says it gently, and with a smile, and doesn't even use her Granny voice when it would probably be appropriate to do so. She's serious, oh no!
She can't help but snort a little as the two of them dither over a place to eat - but she perks up a little at Lunata's suggestion, pleased at the idea. "There's a couple places to eat along there that seem pretty good," she chips in. "A bit cheap and cheerful, but they looked fine to me." She's not Acacia, that's for sure, but she's no slouch when it comes to learning about new places.
It looks like Lunata's getting stuck on the 'then' - so Shalune gives her another nudge, this time forwards and towards Jacqueline. "It sounds like a plan to me. Worse things to do than watch the water together, that's for sure."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline fidgets nervously, her hands clasped in front of her. There's some silence as they try to figure out the age-old question - where should they go? Shalune even manages a serious response to Lunata. Serious Shaluna is scary...
Eventually, Lunata suggests the riverside, and Shaline chimes on some suggestions. Jacqueline thinks it over and, after a moment she nods once - and then again, a bit more resolutely.
"Y-yeah... the riverside! I like that. I hear it's... quite pretty, especially around this time of year..." She agrees with a nod...and, then a smile, and another nod. "Yeah. That's... a good idea, I think. S-so, um..."
She hesitates...and then, after a moment, offers her hand to Lunata. That's...what people did on dates, right?? Hold hands?
"Shall we...?"
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Lunata is both relieved to have Shalune at this moment, and yet perhaps at the same time knows how truly powerful Shalune is in being able to cajole her into action. "H-hmmph, as long as you're not excluding yourself..." Lunata grumbles. "You're really important to me too," she allows herself a moment of deep sincerity.
"And... that's fine by me too, if it's with you?" Lunata stammers back towards Jacqueline. Oh no, is she being too nervous? Is this too much at once? It--
Jacqueline offers her hand, and you could see the steam escape from her ears.
Lunata scratches her cheek again, then accepts it as they start walking... she's careful to not hold on too tightly, though.
"I thought... it was a bit nostalgic, riverside watching. We used to do it a bit back in Adlehyde too..."
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Shalune positively breaks into a grin as Jacqueline offers her hand to Lunata, and manages to bite back the snigger in favour of just being quite relieved for the alchemist's easy gallantry, even if the chances of her actually ever noticing that she's doing it are very slim indeed. She gives an encouraging nod, and pats the white-haired girl on the shoulders twice.
"I'm not," she promises Lunata. She's too used to wearing her heart on her sleeve to hide the light blush, but at least she grins through it. "And, I know I am. But you guys are important to me too, and I think you both need this." It's kind of refreshing to say that part out loud; her eyebrows raise, and she hums to herself. "So, go for it. All I want is to hear you had a really good time afterwards. I won't even sneak in some bushes to watch."
She does sneak forwards for long enough to fiercely hug the both of them, though. When she steps back it would usually be a chance to tease them both by Granny-complaining about curfews, but she sets that aside for today. It doesn't really seem right after Lunata's finally built up the courage.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline looks between Lunata and Shalune as the former tries to make sure the latter isn't just excluding herself.
"Of course I'm okay with it too, but... as long as you're sure, Shalune..." Jacqueline replies with a nod toward Shalune. She's briefly surprised as Shalune moves into to give the both of them - it takes a second for her to register it before she returns it.
When Shalune steps back, Jacqueline takes Lunata's hand in her own. She's still a little red in the face, but she's got some of her usual composure back, at least. This was happening, so... she didn't want to ruin it for either of them by being nervous throughout.
"Yeah... I've always loved the riverside. I guess there's something calming about the surface of the water..." She agrees with a nod as they begin to walk.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
In a way, Lunata actually... begins to relax once she realises how nice it is -- her and Jacqueline, holding hands and heading down the street towards the riverside, watching the glistening surface of the water reflected off the setting sun at the end of the workday. There are ducks in the pond swimming in a small formation. A fisherman is returning home on his boat.
"Do you remember? On days when I didn't do the late shift... we would do this too," Lunata speaks up, perhaps not sure if she should be comparing it to the past, but...
She's sure that remembering the things that she used to love is a step in the right direction.
They find a bench overlooking the bend in the river, with a nice view of the bridge connecting two part of Meria Boules. She quietly takes a seat, not letting go of the hand.
"I... felt like I had that crush on you for so long, but I wasn't able to express how I felt," Lunata admits. "I'd always get tongue-tied."
She looks behind her for a moment, as if expecting a Shalune with a floofy moustache somewhere in the bushes.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Shalune lets the pair go with a rather proud smile on her face - and the moment they're out of sight, she hops from foot to foot, barely containing her energy. Following them doesn't seem at all right, now that something's actually happening - as much as she'd like to do some sort of shadowy support, she knows herself well enough to be quite sure it'd be counterproductive.
So instead she breaks into a quiet but animated giggle. "Fweeheehee-- I'm gonna give Big Shal the best tune up ever," she decides to herself, even if it's not sure if she's actually going to be able to reach the golem. Part of her is just as tempted to go find Minder and just twirl the girl around a ton just to watch the priceless reaction it would cause.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"...Yeah, I remember. I remember I... always looked forward to those days." Jacqueline replies with a nod. "They were always a bright spot in my week."
Not that her weeks back then were particularly bad, of course.
The walk down to the river is pleasant, and nostalgic. It looks like her information really was right - the river really is pretty at this time of year.
Lunata finds a nice spot at a bend in the river and Jacqueline takes a seat. She, too, doesn't let go of Lunata's hand. She listens quietly as Lunata admits that she had that crush for so long, and wasn't able to express how she felt. Jacqueline nods quietly.
"...I should've... I should've noticed sooner." She replies, shaking her head.
"I'm usually good with people, but..." She laughs a bit sheepishly, massaging the back of her neck with her free hand. "I guess I can be kind of...dense? When it comes to... feelings directed toward me."
She hesitates for a moment.
"And... my own feelings, I guess. Until, well... Spira, I never really...thought about them." Until Lunata told her, in a way she couldn't misunderstand. She's a little hesitant to bring it up, but...it's important. Her grip on Lunata's hand tightens, then - not painfully, though - and she looks toward her with a smile.
"From now on... I'm going to try to be better about that." She says.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
They were? Hearing Jaqueline tell her those were bright spots in her week does make Lunata smile. It was special to her too... especially because she usually had pretty stressful days, being a waiter in a saloon.
"Um... well..."
Lunata bobs her head. "I don't think it's a matter of 'should'. I don't... I don't believe in romance the way novels do it, you know. Everyone's got their own pace... and it's okay to take things at your own pace."
Maybe the fact that she can bring herself to say that is a significant thing indeed.
She looks towards Jacqueline herself as she feels that squeeze, and there's a bit of tenderness in how bashful she looks -- especially when she takes stock of that smile.
"I think... it's nice to take notice of how you feel. Sometimes it makes me squirm and get nervous, but... I'd rather feel that than not."
A pause, as she adds, "It makes me... really feel like I'm... alive."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Lunata smiles, and Jacqueline's smile brightens a little more in response, her face going a little pink again. Lunata's smile... she had been wanting to see it again for a while.
Jacqueline listens as Lunata explains that it's okay to take things at your own pace. Jacqueline nods quietly. It makes sense, of course. She felt bad about putting Lunata through it all before... but, they're here now, right?
"...Yeah, you're right." She replies, meeting Lunata's gaze. Lunata says, then, that it makes her squirm and get nervous, but that it makes her feel like she's alive.
"...I'm glad." She replies. "You always have been... at least, to me. In the ways that really matter."
She's looking a little more red, now. If Lunata can't blush, then Jacqueline will have to do enough for both of them.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Lunata feels like she can get lost in that smile forever, and-- in a way, she kind of knows that Jacqueline's smiling more as she is too, so perhaps there is something symbiotic in that relationship... something nice.
She kind of gets it now.
"A-ahah... I... well, I felt bad I wound up taking my own way away from the Caravan..." Lunata bobs her head. "But... well, even if that's the case, we've been able to stay close around each other, at least."
Even if some things have happened... that they haven't completely diverged away through everything that's happened is testament to that.
"The ways that really matter..." she repeats softly. "I'm... I'm glad I took the courage to do this. I might, you know, stumble sometime, but..."
She swallows. "I decided... I'm gonna go look for what my values are. And... saying this, taking the step to do this... I think that's an important step on that journey. And... if you don't mind--" She really could use some getting red right now. "I want... to have you on that journey too."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Lunata admits she felt bad about taking her own way, away from the Caravan. Jacqueline nods.
"It's okay. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to feel obligated to stay, even if there was another path they wanted to take." Jacqueline replies. Sure, it had been hard at first, but... she had come to terms with it. And, like Lunata said, they were still able to stay close.
And then, Lunata says she's going to look for what her values are... and, that this is an important step on her journey.
And, she wants to have her on that journey too. Jacqueline takes a deep breath, reddening even further. It takes her for a second to recover, but... she nods.
"...Yes, of course. I'll... be right there by your side. Always. So, even if you do stumble... I'll be there. To help you back on your feet." She says. Once again, her grip tightens reassuringly.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
"You know I... um, well, if you really need help... I'm here too, right? Sometimes I worry," Lunata somewhat flummoxes that because really, she's probably always worrying about when the Caravan Kinship goes somewhere. "I saw that notice of yours... I'll see if I can't help out too."
But she realises, wow, that's dangerously close to talking about work, so she lets that go for now.
"... being there... to help me on my feet," Lunata whispers. Then gives a firm nod, as she-- leans closer, nestling against Jacqueline. She worries about how cold she might feel to the alchemist.
"Jay... I really... um, well, I really..." Aaah! Not on the first date! That's too fast, surely?! "I'll be by your side too, always."
... good enough for a first date.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"...Don't worry, I'll ask. And... thanks." Jacqueline says. As for her notice... "I'd appreciate anything you could find."
She should probably explain a bit more about the ruin in particular to her, but...she probably feels the same thing. That's too close to being about work! It can wait.
Lunata leans closer, then, nestling against her. And, after a moment of hesitation as she wonders if its okay, Jacqueline leans her head against Lunata's, and smiles as Lunata assures her that she'll be by her side always, too.
Lunata might feel cold, but... Jacqueline's okay with that. Because her just being here warms her heart.