doku | 　

[He can have her arm, hell he can use her as a teddy bear if that works for him.]

It's a beautiful city.

[She leans a bit more to hold him in return, not that she knows if it'll really help.] I know it's not going to help too much, but I think it's great you made it up here.

[It is definitely impressive.]

[He might...actually like that. Boxer holds out his other arm both in invitation and so she can use it as a balance to crawl into his lap. Lingerie teddie bear? Hell yes.]

I'm glad I made it. I'm glad I can share it with you, too.

[It might be a little bit of bravado to show off for his new girlfriend that helped get him here, even though...she's the one who helped get him here...it all feeds into itself.]

It'd be cool to come up here in the early morning. The bay is so busy at that time of day...

[But he's usually doing 'traffic control' at that hour. It's the only reason it can be busy.]

[Lingerie teddy bear! And to think he gets to dress her up sometimes, too! But when she's in his lap she starts a trail of kisses that go from his temple to his jaw, and she tries to sneak a little peck onto his lips, too.]

I'd offer to take a video, but it wouldn't be the same.

[Because, yeah, from what she understands he has to work in the morning considering all the ships that come in, and probably a bunch of other stuff she has no understanding of.] It is nice, though. Right now all those people in all of those buildings are going to sleep or they're with their families, and tomorrow they'll come back out and live their lives.

[And she actually will be here then, though not on this specific floor, waking up with the rest of the world, without much chance to stop and appreciate it all for being there. The thought makes her squeeze him, and nuzzle just under his jawline.]

[Nariko's all kissy but Boxer's all cuddly. Well, it's a scared-for-his-life kind of cuddly but. Still cuddly.]

Appreciate the thought.

[At her dictation, he gets the courage to look out at it again.]

I love this city. Not just the city...all the different people and monsters that make it up. Every light stands for at least one more person...and if you look far enough in any direction, it's nothing but water for miles. Our segregated little piece of heaven on Earth.

[Comfort-kissy.]

Mm, so that is why it's so hard to leave! If you can't swim far enough there's no point in trying!

[That's not true, of course, but it sounds good! There's more than enough reason to stay in Cloudbank, it has it's own varied merits. But right now a part of her reason is currently holding her. She couldn't have met someone like Boxer in any other city in the world.]

It is beautiful, though. Even when it's ugly.

[All things are, at one point or another, but you're only ever happy because there's sadness, so it's alright.]

[She'll feel his hearts pounding in his chest as he holds her up to it, since her ears would be at just the right height to hear his central one pumping. With time, he feels a little more comfortable, but it probably won't go away completely until they go back downstairs.]

There are beautiful lands outside of New Cloudbank...but there's a reason why I keep coming back.

[And now there's one particular reason, too. Starting with Na and ending with ko.]

Now that you've shown me the top of the city [okay so it's hardly the tallest building but give him a break] I'm gonna have to show you a tour of the depths in return.

[Second date? Second date?]

Are you trained to scuba dive?

Edited 2016-03-22 03:45 (UTC)

[You are granted the break, Boxer.]

No, but I think if it means I get to see more of the ocean then I can fix that real quick.

[All that water could be as terrifying as it was enthralling, it's the perfect mix of known and unknown to feel perfectly exciting.] And considering that you have seen the top, maybe we can return to Earth.

[She can feel one of those hearts and, honestly, he's put himself through enough! It's a good starting point and that was all it needed to be. They can talk about their second date on the way ... To her apartment, apparently! Also she should probably put her clothes back on.]

Okay.

[Don't...don't sound so relieved, Boxer, you'll make her feel like she was torturing you. Once she gets off his lap, he's handing her back her clothes like a good little (pfft) boyfriend, holding onto her clutch until she's ready for it.

When they get back to the ground floor, he's still kind of panicky, and he lets out a frustrated sigh because of it. He's on solid ground now! Why are his hearts still fluttering?]

Dammit...

[The dress goes back on like nothing, it's smoothed over and ready to go, but when they get down there ... Yeah, she didn't think it was a big deal when they were still up there but he still seems all jittered up.]

Hey, do you want to go home? [She doesn't mean to sound patronizing or anything, but they shared the same line of thinking here: She figured it would get much better when he could see that he was on concrete again.] I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push you into it.

[Maybe it was just too much?]

[The truth is, he stayed up there too long. He's got a big body and made a lot of adrenaline, and it's going to be a while until it can get filtered out of his system.]

No, no...I just...

[He doesn't want to sound like an alcoholic, but...]

I could use a drink to soothe my nerves.

[Viable story, right? It's true.]

[Oh, this really was a bad idea and she can't help feeling awful for it, but she can't let on to that, it wouldn't do either of them any good.]

I know what to direction to go for one of those.

[She'd choose her apartment but it's not on the ground floor, so that's probably not a good idea right now! Instead, about five minutes away, is a bar. Kind of edging on a dive but they don't allow smoking and the smell of peanuts is only slightly overwhelming. Also the front door is wide, so getting in isn't a problem, either.]

[He really can't complain about a semi-dive. He decides to get a Sea Breeze for himself, and thankfully the bartender has a heavy hand. The walk here already soothed him a little, but he takes Nariko's hand when he has the chance to give her a reassuring squeeze.]

It's okay. It was your idea, but it was my decision to go through with it. I'm glad you brought me up there, Nariko. No one would have pulled it off like you did.

[She doesn't get anything for herself, this is more for him and alcohol doesn't calm her so much as make everything pleasantly dull, and that's no fun for a date. She smiles when he touches her, but it's tinged with a little guilt.]

Maybe so, but how about we avoid heights for a while?

[That's just way too intense a fear of his to challenge unless it's for a really damn good reason.]

[He doesn't exactly want to agree to the idea immediately even though he probably should. He rubs his thumb against her arm gently while he tries to decide how to respond to it, sipping his fruity drink in the meantime.

Afterwords, he turns to her.]

...This doesn't mean I can't see your apartment, does it?

[Boxer does sound very disappointed by the idea, even though she's worried he won't fit in the door.]

[She leans into his touch, but doesn't rush him otherwise. And ... There's a big part of her that wasn't to be responsible and tell him they should probably call it a night, but ...]

It's on the fourth floor.

[So it's not ridiculously high up by any means but it might be enough to bother him.]

If we can make it up there and you're genuinely alright ...

[Then it should be fine.] Just please don't push yourself too much, okay?

[She reaches up to put her hand, for as small as it is, over his. She doesn't mean to smother or patronize him! She's genuinely concerned right now.]

Fourth?

[He lets out a huge relaxed sigh that he didn't know he had enough air to pull off. He smiles at her, though, and as long as "fourth floor" doesn't mean "fourth floor with extremely high vaulted ceilings"--]

I'll be fine.

[He's been on top of cruise ships before! He's gotten used to 15 stories high without too much trouble, so a fourth floor will be no problem. He brings up the hand on top of his to give her a little kiss on her knuckles.]

[If antyhing her ceilings are vaulted at weird angles that don't always give the sense of being bigger so much as just ... Oddly shaped. Boxer will fit just fine once he's inside but he might have to be a little more aware of his head than usual, that's all.

He sounds pretty confident, so she nods and tries to quell the little, fretting parts of herself. She loves because she worries, worries because she loves, etc.]

Hey.

['Scuse her, Boxer! She's gonna lean across and give you a lil' kiss.]

[He chuckles at the kiss. Ah...it really does feel good to be around her, even when they're not having sex. It's so nice. He returns the kiss, and tilts his glass in her direction in case she wanted to try his drink.]

Think we're supposed to wait until the third date to start kissing each other.

[But honestly? He's really comfortable with how unconventional the two of them are. Not expecting some kind of standard out of each other is really liberating.]

Edited 2016-03-23 04:44 (UTC)

[She shakes her head at the drink as she leans back into place.]

First of all, I'd wait until the end of the first for a 'Damn Good Date' and maybe the middle of the second for 'Okay, That's A Decent Start'. [So that clearly means that 'You Take Up All My Free Thoughts' gets a middle/near end date kiss.]

Second of all, you can't show me that gorgeous smile and expect me to not kiss you. I'm sure that more eloquent people would write poems or something, but I prefer to use my lips.

[Such is the way of a tactile woman.]

[Do the comfort kisses from earlier count in those categories?]

I prefer this. Think that poems would make me feel a little self-conscious.

[So her comment kind of did too, but he'll live. He'll definitely live. He finishes off his drink and leaves his payment and tip.]

Besides, your lips are really good at everything you make them do. [Kiss, talk, suck on grossly oversized monster-penises...]

[Nope. Comfort kisses are for the sole purpose of comforting and providing emotional support!]

Poems make everyone feel a little self-conscious. [She would never believe anyone who said they felt touched and not at all mildly overwhelmed by that specific gesture - from the woman who could drown people in compliments. She slips out of the booth, hands locked behind her back.]

You'd be amazed at how terrible they can be when I need them most.

[Particularly when it comes to discussing stuff. But the rest? Yes, she's the best, no sense in denying that.]

I like 'em enough to give them a few passes.

[Once they're out of the dive, he lets out a relieved sigh. He looks a whole lot better too, though it might mostly be the time he was given to recover than the drink itself. Aw, she's cute when she stands like that.]

How far is your apartment?

I'm going to hold you to that in the future.

[She'll certainly need it.] It's literally just right over there!

[The buildings itself is rather tall, so it stands out well enough. It's a nice, middle class area, nothing to write home about.] If you think that I purposely chose an apartment that was conveniently near both my office and home then you'd be half right.

[It was a coincidence, but what self respecting woman in your almost mid-twenties wouldn't want to live near a bar? Especially an easy going one. But, off they go!]

Ohh, good.

[He's honestly glad. He's kind of tired being out in public, so it'll be nice to have somewhere to land for a while.]

A wise decision.

[But the door they end up in front of, though...]

Hmm.

[He looks it over thoughtfully, before turning to Noriko.]

Would you mind helping me out of my pants?

[It's more like an excessively long skirt than it is pants but still.]

If my tentacles are free I could get in without any problem.

Right, because I'd totally have a problem with that.

[Is it really not that bad? He doesn't seem very concerned with the door at all, so the best thing to do is what he says. Maybe she'll have to brace a little, especially in these heels, but she can pull at his arms or hold onto the chair itself or whatever he needs to pull this off. Of course before she does that she opens the actual door - with Boxer in front of it no one's going to try a single thing, after all.

So!! Time to get him inside!!]

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