Lux Opening [OPEN]

[apostatises]

Who: YOU. This is an OPEN log, heck yeah.
What: Lux's Grand Opening
When: Day 69, all night
Where: Lux, in the Baldr District
Rating: PG-13 to be safe—If the rating goes up in a thread, please let me know!

Welcome to Lux —

It's been under construction for about a month, and anyone in the Baldr district (or who just liked to wander) surely would have noticed the bar's construction. It was only a few days ago that the sign was finally put up—Lux.

Maybe you saw the owner's post on the network and decided to come see. Or maybe you were just walking past and was curious about the crowd of people who had gathered. Regardless, you'll be welcomed into a ritzy bar and lounge. There are some locals mingling about, and jazz is drifting through the air, since the owner is currently playing.

Should you decide to stay, you'll find that the drinks and food are very generously half price for grand opening. Or, if that's not to your taste, then surely the music and crowd will make up for it.

Welcome to Lux, the bar owned by the Devil himself.

quick jump to threads

outside lux ☄ around the bar ☄ general mingling ☄ by the stage ☄ speak with the owner

Comments

[Open]

[lethechained]

[Naminé's not exactly inclined to hang around the actual bar (or old enough, either) so she's found a place to sit somewhere else. She's in a nice new dress, at least, but rather than ordering anything alcoholic, she's gone for a little something to eat and some water. This might not be the kind of place she'd frequent, but she has other motives for being here.]

[showmeanguish]

[Do those motives include him? Funny thing about the lighting being so muted is that for someone who can control shadows, moving around unseen is much easier now. So in a moment, Naminé might catch someone sitting down at the table next over to her... and if that doesn't get her attention, the feeling of eyes staring at her might be enough.]

[lethechained]

[For once, no - at least, they didn't when she arrived. Her only goals had been visiting a friend on his first day of work and having a look at the new establishment, out of curiosity. Finding Vanitas here, though, would have admittedly afforded her both no small amount of anxiety and an opportunity to observe, except it looks like she's the one who's been found. She does catch the movement out of the corner of her eye, and there's a faint spike of something made habit thanks to the days when the presence of another was usually a sign that things were about to get worse, only there's something a bit more severe about that feeling than there usually is, now that she's spent some time away from that kind of life. She doesn't realize why until she turns to properly look his way, already unsettled by that feeling and the sensation of eyes focused on her.]

--!

[That efficiently freezes her in place, her skin paling ever so slightly.]

[showmeanguish]

[When he has her attention, his smirk grows a bit wider before he speaks. He keeps his voice neutral, and under the buzz of conversation.]

Make a commotion, and I'll make an even bigger one, in case you're thinking about it. I just want to talk.

[lethechained]

....

[Her lips had parted, though in surprise rather than any intent to make noise; regardless, she presses them firmly together at that. Just talking? Even that's not exactly welcome, not in person like that. And it's true, for an instant she half-considered calling for Riku, for anyone, but that's too hasty and too dangerous and she'd really, really rather not get him or anyone else involved in this. A faint frown settles on her mouth, her eyes watching Vanitas closely.]

... About what?

[showmeanguish]

You.

[Calmly and without invitation, he gets up from his seat, and moves to the chair across from her. Even better. In the dim lighting, it was hard to read her expressions even from that distance, and now he has a much better view.]

I know you're involved.

[lethechained]

Me?

[It comes out as a reflex, a soft and altered echo. That is... not a good sign. Does he know? About her being that anonymous commentor? Or talking to Ventus? Or being from his world, or being a Nobody, or a witch, or-- any number of other things? Her mind whirls, then goes blank for an instant as he moves and she half-expects some kind of violence for the moment it takes her mind to remind her that they're in a public place, and he probably isn't that stupid. Her eyes follow him, guarded and uncertain but searching for an answer. She gets one, after a fashion.]

[He knows she's--]

[Fortunately, after the initial shock, she'd already begun to steel herself for what was coming, so the quiet horror and skipped heartbeat that she experiences don't register as clearly on her face as the otherwise might be. If she's careful, she might be able to feign confusion, instead. Biding her time, she regards him across the table as her expression slowly eases into something straight and difficult to read. When he'd been at the table next to her, she'd leaned slightly away from him; now that he's across the same table, she shifts subtly back in her seat instead, just the tiniest bit.]

... Involved in what? [Thanks to the searching look on her face and her own genuine confusion as to what, exactly, it is he knows she's involved in, she manages to look relatively innocent, although considerably more businesslike than she usually would, were she talking to someone else. (There are a lot of expressions he doesn't get to see, when he's the one she's looking at - but then, he gets a lot of expressions the others don't, too.)]

[showmeanguish]

You can drop the innocent act; I saw through it a long time ago.

[Which is pretty much a bluff--he has nothing to go on other than a hunch, but he knows being bold and blunt can often get him more than beating around the bush can. Luckily for him, both of those qualities come naturally to him.

Watching her, his eyes narrow the slightest bit, unblinking and sharp. And to show he was confident in his assumption, he mimicked her move of leaning back in his chair, only instead of sitting straight, his body fell into a relaxed lean, one arm propping itself across the chair's top behind him.]

We're from the same worlds. You know about the Keyblades and all that--about Light and Darkness. You know about us.

[lethechained]

[Her lips purse slightly. A long time ago, hm? Fear creeps up her spine, and for a moment she almost caves... but she spent enough time with the Organization to know that sometimes people bluff, pretend to know things they really don't. It was Larxene's downfall, letting Axel in on the plan (with her own bluff, no less), and that memory makes Naminé hesitate, reining in her distress to keep her expression calm as she watches Vanitas appraisingly. She can't give in, not until she's sure he really knows. Her eyes stay low-lidded, and they flicker over his posture when he shifts. Her mouth tightens ever so slightly, but it's hard to tell whether it's because of some quiet annoyance with his nonchalance or something else. The second being the truth, but that's not obvious.]

[He thinks he has her, then? Or at least he's trying to look like he does. (It reminds her of one secondhand memory in particular. Fortunately, she's probably better at keeping a straight face than Ven is.)]

[The head tilt she gives him is nearly infinitesimal. Her pause stretches out a bit longer than necessary, in order for her to ready herself to keep her voice level when she says,] About 'us'? [Oh, she can guess at which 'us', precisely, he's referring to. (He might be ready to quit beating around the bush, but she isn't.)]

[showmeanguish]

Ventus and I.

[So far, he hasn't gotten much back from her, but Vanitas isn't going to give up just yet. He knows there's a chance he can get something out of this, and there's no way her armor's strong enough to not have a few chinks. Persistence is all it'll take.]

But what I don't know is how. Who've you been talking to... Aqua, or Roxas maybe?

[lethechained]

[Ventus, then. No surprise there. In fact, she doesn't look surprised, either, save for a slight raising of her head.]

[Several chinks, of course, and quiet failures to purposely fake certain things, like that moment that might surprise the unaware, or the way she tilts her head a bit more at the accusation that she's been talking to those people; it's true, but the reason she knows of Vanitas has nothing to do with that. She didn't need them to tell her. Way off, good sir. Persistence, however, really does pay off with her, sometimes.]

What makes you think I've been talking to anyone about you?

[showmeanguish]

Because, you're avoiding an answer.

[Which doesn't prove anything, but it is suspicious that she chose to ask that, rather than deny it.]

[lethechained]

[She blinks at him patiently. Your logic is flawed, sir.]

You asked me before anything like that happened.

[showmeanguish]

No, I mean you've been avoiding answering from the beginning. If you really didn't know, you would've said so, and even if you did you could've lied.

So what you're really doing is trying to con me out of revealing what I know, right?

[lethechained]

[Still not an excuse for asking the beginning, but he has a point. She almost says, 'I don't like lying', but doesn't. (It's true, though, and she has yet to tell him a proper lie. Letting him know that, however, may not be in anyone's best interest.) Feeling as though she needs something to keep her hands busy, she begins to reach for her glass, stops just when her fingers are about to raise past the top of the table, then folds her hands together again instead. They're trembling too much. It wouldn't do to let him see that.]

Con you?

[There's the faintest hint of tension in her brow, though it could be interpreted as confusion rather than the distress it is. There's actually a hint of sadness somewhere around her mouth, but she holds it together well; it... really doesn't sit well, having to play this game, to tell the truth.]

Weren't those straightforward questions?

[showmeanguish]

On the surface.

[He definitely notices that she looks uncomfortable, though she's doing a good job of hiding just how distressed she is. But he's still watching her closely--more closely than his casual recline really belies.]

But all you've done is ask questions.

[lethechained]

[He's got her there, yes. She exhales slowly, quietly considering her options. Alright, then. She's not completely against giving him a little bit of information, if it'll do anything to help the situation.]

I suppose that would be frustrating.

[There's a hint of an apology to it. She almost manages to pull off a smile, but it ends up very faint.]

[He must know that Aqua and Ventus would warn others. No harm in admitting to that.]

... You were right. Aqua told me a few things.

[showmeanguish]

[After she says that, Vanitas takes his arm off of the chair back and leans forward, folding them on top of the other on the table before him.]

Like...?

[He keeps his own reaction to her admittance carefully guarded and neutral, but inside he's doing a victory fist pump.]

GJBFKF SORRY FOR EDITS so scatterbrained right now

[lethechained]

[The motion makes her go very still, but since she already wasn't moving much it might be hard to tell. Even once she relaxes slightly, she doesn't shift. The change in his posture is enough to suggest to her that there's something going on in his mind, possibly something rather self-satisfied. It's also enough to make her just a bit more uncomfortable. Vanitas cooties on her table--]

....

[For a moment, she hesitates about telling him this. There are a few things that are comparatively unincriminating, but... frankly, she doesn't really want to tell him that. They're true, of course, but they're also rude, and kind of hurtful. He might deserve them, but still....]

It's fine! o7

[showmeanguish]

[Don't worry Namine; he's got a thick skin. He can take a few insults, especially if they're true. While she hesitates, he just keeps staring straight at her, as if he can will an answer out of her if he makes her uncomfortable enough.

That's kind of his tactic, actually. If they weren't in public, he'd be a lot more threatening, but he doesn't want to draw unnecessary attention towards them. So he remains silent, and waits to see if she'll crack under the pressure.]

[lethechained]

[Oh, she knows. But she's had enough insults heaped upon her herself to not wish them on others, even if they can take it (and maybe even deserve them). Good luck willing that answer out of her, Vanitas, because she's taking her sweet time. She can only imagine how much worse this would be if they weren't in public, but the fact remains that they are, so at least in that she can take some comfort.]

... She said that you weren't very nice, and that I should stay away from you.

[This, very obviously, is the censored version.]

latest tag, orz

[showmeanguish]

[That actually makes him smile a bit, though it's not a very pleasant look for him. He's sure there was a lot more to that, but it's just what he was expecting. Aqua's too predictable.]

Was this before or after I saved you from those ice monsters?

[It's a trick question; he knows Aqua wasn't here in Asgard, at that time.]

/p-pets

[lethechained]

[The change in his expression has an opposite but unequal effect in hers. Too predictable, indeed, which was why Naminé felt there would be little risk in saying such a thing - for both her and Aqua.]

[That hint of a frown only gets worse at his question, something almost miserable sneaking onto her face. Of course he had to bring that up. ... She could lie. She could tell him it happened the first time Aqua was here, that it was before he'd met Naminé, and it would probably be less incriminating.]

[But....]

[She's not him, and she's not the Organization, and she's not Master Xehanort.]

... After.

;~;

[showmeanguish]

[He thought she'd probably say that.]

Hm, see. That's the part that's interesting to me.

;^;

[lethechained]

[The chill that sneaks down her spine is thoroughly unpleasant, and her jaw clenches, just slightly.]


Interesting?