inbox for golden peacock

[cartographie]

@nami

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[cartographie]

[ It was the guys who set that particular wheel into motion, but it's been her time at the resort, largely, that's let Nami experience making friends for reasons other than ultimately robbing them blind.

Getting to know other women has been the best part of figuring friendship out. Even if attraction had nothing to do with it, finding common ground with, and growing fond of another woman is gratifying in its own, unique way. Nami felt the beginnings of that with Tifa fairly early on – blame it on the kindness the fighter wears on her sleeve for the world to see, and she feels it now while hanging back a step or two to watch Tifa enjoy the beach. ]

Sweeping you off your feet wasn't my intention, promise. So if it happens, I can't be held accountable. [ Despite her words, there's nothing sheepish about the way Nami's eyes sweep over Tifa's face while a restrained version of what would be a very wolfish grin curves over her lips. Despite the warmth of her words and the look she gives her, Nami puts space between herself and Tifa as she moves behind the pavilion's bar while quietly trying to chuckle away her own words. ]

Being around beaches wasn't something you did a lot of back home, I take it? [ Her hands work while she speaks, adding ice, cherry liqueur, scotch, and tangerine juice to an ice-filled shaker before fixing the lid to mix up the contents. ] You know the way up now, you can come enjoy this one whenever you want.

[ After pouring out two glasses of the cocktail and adding a twist of tangerine peel to each, she slides one towards Tifa. ] It's called a Blood and Sand.

[saults]

[ even with the warmth that rolls over her cheeks in her exchange with nami, tifa can't help but simply feel pleasant about it all, with the ease there is in talking with her, with sharing soft jokes and playful comments, like she can simply be normal and excited about something in a way that she doesn't get to often do these days anymore.

at nami's question, she gives a shake of her head. ]

Definitely not. I've been living in Midgar the last few years. It's a pretty big city, all divided into sectors within a big metal structure in the middle of a wasteland. It has these reactors that pump up mako energy from the ground — it steals the very life of the planet so there's no flora and fauna for miles, so not much of a view, much less any room for something beautiful like this. [ there's the faintest bit of a more somber tone as she describes the central setting of her own world, but with the world currently around her and nami's offer, tifa shakes it away with a grateful smile. ] Thanks. I might really take you up on that so don't regret it when you catch me up here dipping over in the water.

[ with the completion of the drink, she leans forward on the bar counter, studying the view of its color with a curious and excited intrigue that comes from someone plenty famliar with the art of drink mixing before she quirks her eyebrow up briefly at nami with a grin and takes a sip, following it soon with a mmm sound. ]

Oh, wow — that tangerine really gives it a perfect kick! This is great, Nami. You sure you're not a secret mixologist yourself?

[cartographie]

[ As difficult as it is to imagine a place drained dry of all its vibrancy to the point that the grass doesn't even grow, it's harder still to imagine someone like Tifa living there. Even though it's more than obvious the woman can kick ass, there's a softness to her that's hard to picture in a city as gritty as the Midgar that Tifa describes. As curious as it makes her, she gets the sense Tifa's content to push past the topic, something she finds herself easily leaning into with a smile. ]

You're not exactly making that sound regrettable.

[ Nami lifts her glass to her lips and hides a smirk against the rim, her eyes curving up in amusement as she looks across the bar at her before taking a sip as well. With a hum of approval, her gaze darts down to the contents of her glass as the warmth of swallowed alcohol enrobes her throat in a not-at-all unpleasant burn. ]

There's a tangerine liquor they drink on the island I come from, I'm always looking for the next best thing.

[ She takes another sip before looking back at Tifa, brushing off her words with a shake of her head. ] Should we sit by the water with these, or do you want to walk around? [ Truthfully, sitting right here continuing to steal glances at the other woman and her remarkably mahogany eyes, but Nami can already tell doing that won't help her temper the urge to flirt with Tifa. ]

[saults]

[ sharing drinks and enjoying the salty feel of the air in being by the beach is a lot more preferable to talking about the tough conditions of living in midgar. not that she necessarily has a problem with being honest about the world she comes from, but it's rare enough for her to bask in such an environment that she can't help but get a little lost in it. especially when nami keeps that offer open and tifa has her own bashful smile to it, still a little flushed in a way that she's not sure will dissipate anytime soon, likely to be made even more prominent with the drink in her hand, mirroring nami is using it to mask her smile. ]

As great as the walk sounds, I think I'd like to stay by the water a bit, if that's okay. Hard to not want to enjoy a view like that for a little while.

[ shuffling back, she waits for nami to join her before beginning to step in the direction towards the water. though while she's referenced the view of the water, her eyes still seem to peer over at nami herself, gaze remaining bright and curious. ]

So, tangerine liquor, huh? If they grew tangerines there, your island must be pretty gorgeous. Did you grow up by the water like this?

[cartographie]

[ Letting Tifa lead the way to the water's edge, Nami looks ahead at the calm strip of beach laid out before them, the false sky already beginning to deepen with the oncoming evening hours. It's been over a year since she's seen the sky, but her suite helps take the edge off, even if she could never really let herself forget how it's all fake. ]

Works for me. You'll get to know the place eventually. [ Which is a presumptuous thing to say, enough so that Nami feels her face warm as she casts a quick glance in Tifa's direction before trying to brush the comment off with a dismissive shake of her head. ] If you decide you want to hang out up here, I mean.

[ She's glad for the conversation to shift back to familiar territory, even though the topic of her island is one she's more selective about, when it comes to sharing the details. ]

I grew up in a tangerine orchard, outside a tiny farming town. You could see the ocean from almost anywhere you stood. [ Nami tilts her head towards a cozy-looking rattan daybedsituated a few paces away from the water's edge, and shoots Tifa a questioning look before heading over to sit on the edge of the cushion. It's spacious enough that they don't have to get too close, but deep down, Nami kind of hopes Tifa doesn't keep her distance, even as their conversation lingers in safe, casual territory. ]

So what about you? If you haven't lived in your tough city your whole life, where did you grow up?

[saults]

[ you'll get to know the place eventually. the words bring another effortless smile to her lips, shy in the way she ducks her head in an attempt to almost disguise the way a simple sentence can somehow excite her. ]

Well, if you keep inviting me, then I doubt I'd be able to say no.

[ she hopes it's a simple enough answer that doesn't speak too much to her own eager enthusiasm, like she almost feels like an excited young girl again, the way she'd made friends with jessie when she'd first moved to midgar and found herself frequently anxious to spend with the other girl. having a friend seems like the obvious reasoning, but — well, considering what happened with nami the last time they met, she knows there's a bit more to it than that. thinking back on it now, without even realizing it then, maybe there'd been more to it with jessie too.

when nami points out the daybed, tifa gives her an approving nod, following her to it as she situates herself beside her on the cushion. while she doesn't necessarily invade her space, she's still just a few inches apart, relaxing her posture as she takes another sip from her drink. ]

A tangerine orchard sounds pretty beautiful to be surrounded by. I guess before the city, I was pretty much the opposite — a whole country girl. [ she laughs softly, thinking back on how vastly different her life had changed paces between nibelheim and midgar. ] It was a pretty small village by the mountain, that pretty much only existed as a stopping point for mountain climbers, at least up until they built the, um, the reactor. [ her voice catches for a moment on those last words, but tifa maintains her smile, quickly breezing past it. ] Actually, it was so small, I was the only girl my age there, so I grew up around a bunch of boys. So they got stuck with me constantly trying to play dress up in nice clothes and set up tea parties. Poor guys, huh?