cinderlea | (no subject)

(no subject)

[ Riku disappears first. Vanished in her sleep, in the middle of the night, collapsing in on herself in a shimmer of starlights. This isn't like last time. No warnings, no chances to say goodbye, no hesitation or resistance. She just isn't there.

Lea goes minutes after Riku, in the same way. But she's awake, lounging on her couch, having a conversation as she flips through her phone. Here and then gone, like a flame. This isn't the first time either of them have gone home, but it's the first time it's so abrupt. At least it isn't death. The last time Riku went home was seven years ago. She was gone for a month, and she came back with shorter hair and the Mark of Mastery. The last time Lea went home, no one really noticed. She thought she was used to it by now.

Things are different this time. Disorienting. Lea meets Kai in the training, for real this time. Riku has her memories, or at least most of them. They're hazy, dreamlike, but real. She has them all. She remembers how old she really is and how long she's been gone. She remembers everyone she cares about, and everyone that won't change here. She keeps her ice magic and takes what she's learned here to use there. But time is fluid. She doesn't feel like she's been gone for seven years.

Lea's are gone, for now. She lives everything new and fresh, with the dressing room appearing only in dreams vivid enough to unsettle her.

Things aren't the same for every world.

Things go better than expected.

The core story is the same. The heroes rescue the ones that need it, they bring everyone back, they defeat the darkness, and they go home. How and when and who — these things vary, but they do it all together and they go home together. And then their story is over, at least for now, and they come back.

Unlike how they went out, Lea and Riku reappear together on the beach. Coming back is just as disorienting, and neither has their phone, so they get their bearings and confirm memories with each other, of the dressing room and of home, and then separate to find their friends.

They've been gone two months. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[candles are a little extra, yes, but only as much as Lea is. Isa wanders in after a few minutes in just leggings and tanktop, with a mug full of sour candy that she sets on the sink for now. she's probably used this tub a fair amount since she arrived in the dressing room, but it's always nicer when someone else sets it up for you. is Lea planning on sticking around? :eyes: ]

[ Fine, no candles. Still Lea, though, and yes she seems to be sticking here unless Isa tells her otherwise. ]

Get in. I'll wash your hair.

[ This is totally a good idea, right? Isn't it a good idea? ]

[Lea's about to find out if it was a good idea, since Isa had very little modesty before she lost her heart, and now has basically none. so here we go, next step in this game of gay chicken, Isa's going to start removing clothes before Lea has a chance to flee from the room. she's got some additional scars, nothing super exciting, just old faded Heartless claw marks. into the tub she goes, enjoy the eyeful of boob and butt on the way by.]

Again, I thought I was the one doing the pampering today.

[ Nice... boob. Okay so it's time to focus on the tub and just the tub. Got it. She's a little too perfectly composed and blank to be convincing, but at least she's not staring at her. Nope, she's going to take a seat on a convenient stool near the head of the tub, totally casual. ]

I figure you can go back to it for dinner.

[not much of one tbh; these are not busty ladies in this room. hopefully Lea knows that if she gets a nosebleed she's excused and can just bail whenever. i just remembered that Isa's got some pretty haphazard braids going in the back that survived Halloween Town. she's gonna reach back and start untangling them.]

I suppose that works. What do you want?

[ Hey no, she smacks at her hands weakly, trying to take over the braid undoing. ]

I've got this. As for food...

[ Because she's not high level enough to make eating jokes— ]

Stirfry?

[whoops. she's been doing for herself for so long, it's habit, but Lea can do the hair stuff. instead, Isa's going to stretch and grab the mug of candy off the edge of the counter.]

Hmm, I think I can do that. I know there's a package of fake crab in the freezer, and veggies. Anything else?

[ She is focusing very hard on undoing the braids without tangling them, and might've accidentally brushed the back of her hand on the back of Isa's neck, but it was definitely an accident. Can't catch me, gay thoughts. ]

Mmmmnnnoodles? You mean in the stirfry, or—

[Lea's adorable, and Isa's trying really hard not to laugh or give her shit. she is smiling though, not that Lea can see it. gonna monch this gummi worm.]

Yes, in the stirfry, unless you have something else in mind.

[ ~ ]

[ ... ]

Like a side-dish. I'm good.

[ Did she play herself. Fuck. She gets the braids untangled and rakes her fingers through Isa's hair a couple times to make sure there are no major tangles washing would make worse. ]

[she's good at that, playing herself. fun fact, it's extremely likely here that Lea will discover that even slight pressure on the back of Isa's neck is an immediate off switch. as it is, this already feels good enough that she's relaxing down into the tub. she still sounds amused though.]

We'll sort it out once we're through in here.

[ Ah, but how long will it take. Time to pull Isa's hair up like she's forming a lose ponytail, scraping her fingertips along the hairline to make sure she gets it all. Lea is unsurprised by the relaxing, as a hot, steamy bath will do that. Time to use the showerhead to get this hair wet. ]

Can I request no carrots?

Nope, but you're welcome to pick the carrots out and give them to me.

[who even knows. Lea's the best tho, and hopefully she knows that. Isa's just really glad they're at a point where they can do this, both this specifically and just hanging out in general.]

I don't know why you'd ruin perfectly good hot food with carrots.

[ Raw carrots are ok, with some kind of salad dressing. Also let's be real, Lea has always known she was the best. Her ego just got humbled over time. This, also, was for the best.

As soon as Isa's hair is thoroughly soaked she'll squeeze the water out, a little, and reach for her shampoo. ]

And I don't know why you'd ruin perfectly good mac and cheese with hot sauce, but we talked about that already.

[why is this candy disappearing as Isa eats it, it's not fair. also yeah, can you imagine if Lea had stayed as much of an outgoing dipshit as she was as a teen. they would've basically had two of Demyx in the Organization.]

I think you mean improve.

[ She would have been obnoxious, it's true. She squirts some shampoo out into her hands and rubs them together before going for Isa's hair. Time to work up a nice lather. ]

[she'll have to repay the favor and do this for Lea sometime, this is lovely. =A= lovely and relaxing enough that she can't really think of a snarky comeback.]

...says you.

[look, she tried, ]

I'm always right, aren't I?

[ Don't worry, even she can barely keep a straight face when she says that. Yes, good, it's like getting a very large cat to relax. ]

[that just gets a snort. she is still visibly tense across her shoulders, but that's pretty normal for her; too many years of feeling like she had to watch her back and be on top of everything at all times. someone should really tell her to chill out, especially here and now.]

[ This is why Lea is her best friend, and not someone else. Who better to call someone on their shit like this? Lea snorts right back at her, and this is more of a skull massage than just shampooing up her hair at this point. ]

You're the only person I know who can still be this tense in a hot bath.

Yeah. That feels good, though.

[at least Isa knows this about herself. she takes a deep breath and lets it out, rolling her shoulders and making an effort to relax. boo, the candy is gone, and the empty mug is getting set on the floor by the tub.]

We need to find a way to make you relax. A hobby, or stealing Serein.

[ Riku would probably be willing to let them have visitations/kidnappings every weekend or so. Should Lea massage her shoulders now too? ]

[that sounds like the ideal way to make the thing happen, so yes. now Isa has nothing to do with her hands except pick at her nails under the water, also, and the distraction will be timely.]

I have a hobby, I give you shit and call you a dork.

And yet, somehow, despite fully devoting yourself, you're still tense. Here, relax.

[ A shoulder massage it is. She has soapy hands and Isa's hair is still full of suds, but, priorities. ]

[well, from Lea's side of things it'll appear that Isa just really took the words to heart, but what actually happened was that on her way to shoulders, Lea slid the flat of her hand across the nape of Isa's neck. Isa goes relatively limp while it's there, but noticeably tenses up even more once Lea's moved on.]